New MG Cyber concept could be mistaken for a Ferrari… almost

The Goodwood Festival of Speed has been a busy affair for MG, with the brand pulling the covers off of  two new concept cars. While the first unashamedly points to next year’s MG2 supermini, the second provides a glimpse at the future of the brand: a sleek, all-electric, D-segment coupe-SUV with more than a whiff of Ferrari Purosangue about its design.

Called the MG Cyber, it has apparently been conceived as a “flagship expression of the MG brand” and “previews a future model in the large SUV, D-segment”. The only car MG currently has in this area of the new-car market is the plug-in hybrid MG S9 but the Cyber is a different proposition entirely. 

In profile, you’ll immediately notice the Cyber’s sleek proportions: it has a cab-rearward stance, plus a long bonnet and lengthy wheelbase to emphasise its sheer size. The tall beltline and sloping roof give it a sporty look, bolstered by a set of large, five-spoke alloy wheels. 

The nose is relatively low, with a thin lightbar connecting the claw-like headlamps – a design that is replicated at the rear. There are countless scythes and slices to the bodywork to help with cooling and aerodynamics, backed up by a set of slim digital door mirrors. The defined rear haunches, twin spoilers and aggressive lower trim treatment further add to this car’s status as a dynamic flagship.

While MG remains tight-lipped as to what might power this future SUV, it has repeatedly referenced “high performance” and “driving pleasure” suggesting a punchy dual-motor drivetrain is likely. Its position at the top of the MG range, backed up by comments that the Cyber is “suited to urban environments, long-distance journeys and engaging roads”, would suggest a chunky battery capable of at least 400 miles of range.

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We’ve not been shown the Cyber’s cabin yet, but Jozef Kaban, vice president of MG’s Global Design Centre, told us his team has finalised the design and that “we just haven’t seen it yet”. He joked: “Maybe one day you will even have it at home” – hinting that the car’s interior layout is ready for production.

The Cyber name hasn’t been used in vain, either. “[Cyber is] an experimentation,” Kaban told us. “Cyber is a little bit like the peak of the brand in some way. It's pulling certain values a little bit higher – like, for example, the Cyberster. [Cyber is] a car with a lot of passion. It's a car which you immediately feel.”

David Allison, MG UK’s director of product and planning, sees the Cyber brand as a way of MG appealing to a new audience, whether that’s through road cars such as the Cyberster, concepts like this new D-segment SUV, or the boxier Cyber X previewed at last year’s Shanghai Motor Show. 

“We previously used [Cyber X] to gauge a viewpoint, or an attractiveness, from a certain type of customer that perhaps wouldn't consider one of our current cars,” Allison told us. “If we're looking at [the Cyber], we’re going after a completely different market; positioning a car which ultimately goes after really established competitors – but it's so much cheaper than everybody else”.

Allison wouldn’t reveal a timeline or projected price point for the future D-segment EV, insisting that the current range of ZS, HS and even S9 needs facelifting before the brand can focus on new models such as the production-ready Cyber SUV. Bad news, then: if you’re after that cut-price Purosangue, you’ve a little while to wait…

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