MG shows off Cyberster concept ahead of Shanghai

MG MOTOR has released the first official images of its two-door Cyberster concept; a roofless electric sportscar due to make its global debut at the Shanghai motor show later this month.

Said to draw inspiration from the classic MGB, the Cyberster flaunts a bold and futuristic look with elegant curves, deep body sculpting and the squat dimensions usually associated with a dedicated sportscar.

With a wheel almost in each corner, the Cyberster’s cabin is almost perfectly centred between the front and rear axles with a decidedly low windscreen height and roofline in comparison to the bonnet and hip lines.

Classically oversized wheels help remind punters this is indeed a concept with international media raising questions for some time now as to when the once-fabled sportscar brand would be returning to its roots.

There is nothing sportscar-like about the Cyberster’s claimed performance figures however, with MG citing a zero-to-100km/h time of less than 3.0 seconds, putting the it firmly into the realm of the world’s elite supercars.

While no specific details of the battery-electric powertrain have been confirmed, the Tesla-baiting performance could only be made possible by a twin or even triple electric motor set-up while the “approximate” 800km effective range points to a battery capacity north of 90kWh.

Matching the futuristic exterior and up-to-date tech under the skin, the Cyberster’s interior has been designed under the “digital fibre” philosophy with a “driver-centric layout” and two distinct sections: driver and passenger.

In front of the driver is a digital instrument cluster and a steering wheel which looks to have been lifted straight out of a racing simulator – the car actually features an interactive gaming cockpit and 5G connectivity.

Occupants sit on MG’s ‘Zero Gravity’ seats upholstered in red and white leather, a theme continued throughout the rest of the interior save for the black dashboard.

While production is yet to be confirmed, an MG Motor Australia spokesperson confirmed to GoAuto that the Cyberster would not be making it Down Under, but that it was “working on other, even more exciting EV projects that underline MG’s commitment of electric for everyone”.

On a boarder scope meanwhile, SAIC Design Advanced London director Carl Gotham said the Cyberster was a “hugely exciting” concept for the brand and that it pointed to the future.

“The Cyberster is a bold statement that looks strongly into MG’s future, touching on our heritage but more importantly building on our technology and advanced design,” he said.

MG is quickly emerging as one of the great success stories within the Aussie new-car industry with sales up 163.2 per cent so far this year ending March compared to the same period in 2020 (8728 vs 3316).