LoginMG’s Cyber SUV Might Be The Coolest Thing It’s Built Since The Cyberster
- MG has dropped teaser images of a new Cyber X SUV ahead of the Shanghai Auto Show
- Compact, rugged design features a squared nose, upright tail, and full-width LED light bars.
- EV power is likely but unconfirmed; SAIC’s new E3 platform also takes hybrid powertrains.
MG’s Cyberster electric sports car helped make a splash for the brand, but it’s never going to sell in the millions. But here’s another Cyber-branded MG that might. It’s the Cyber X, and MG has just dropped teaser images of the boxy SUV ahead of its global reveal at the Shanghai Auto Show on April 23.
A series of silhouetted and darkened pictures show the second car from MG’s Cyber family from the side, the front- and rear-three-quarter angles. The X’s fashionably square nose and upright tail say this is a car designed for a younger crowd than the one usually seen in MG showrooms.
Related: MG Cyber GTS Concept Hints At Production Cyberster Coupe
A full-width LED light bar stretches across the Cyber X’s face, with an illuminated MG octagon mounted just below it and flanked by two smaller LEDs. The fenders are flared above the wheels, door handles are sunk flush with the door skin, and a pair of roof rails underlines the go-anywhere vibe. At the rear, the waistline rises to meet the chunky D-pillar, and there’s another full-width LED bar and illuminated MG badge rounding out the show at the tail.
We’ll have to wait until the day of the show to make a final assessment on the design, but from what we can see here, the mix of tech and tough will find the Cyber X plenty of admirers. It’s eerily reminiscent of the new Smart #5, which could be handy because the newly-launched Geely SUV is likely to be one of the X’s key rivals.
Tech details are practically non-existent at this stage, but Chinese reports say that the X will be one of the first cars to benefit from SAIC’s new E3 platform, which features cell-to-body construction where the battery pack is made part of the car’s structure in an effort to cut weight.
The E3 architecture is capable of handling both electric and hybrid powertrains, though right now we don’t know whether the X will offer both or only one of those options. A closed grille suggests we’re looking at an EV. Car News China claims the X will feature semi-solid-state batteries, advanced drive assist features, and sophisticated phone-to-car integration.
We’ll be seeing more than the Cyber X from MG during this year and next. The automaker is preparing to roll out more than half a dozen new cars, including a second-generation MG4, a revised Cyberster, and four EVs, including a pair of sedans and a pair of SUVs. Not all are guaranteed to come to Europe, but our hunch is the Cyber X will find it worth the trip.
