MG has unveiled the star of the Shanghai Motor Show with a Land Rover Defender-style SUV, but with a retro twist.
The new Cyber X SUV features a modern interpretation of pop-up headlights, made famous during the 1970s and 1980s on a string of cars from Ferraris to Aston Martins, as well as James Bond’s Lotus Esprits.
The Cyber X is officially a concept, but MG is using the Shanghai Motor Show to gauge public opinion on the boxy SUV, which has more than a hint in its proportions of the popular Land Rover Defender and iconic Mercedes G-Class. MG is also exploring whether the concept can be shipped to the UK in time for the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July.
MG design boss Jozef Kaban explained to The Independent that the Cyber X could sit alongside the wacky Cyberster all-electric roadster in a “Cyber line-up” aimed at younger buyers, saying the goal is to offer unique models alongside its mainstream cars. Kaban says the brief for any MG, though, is to “make people happy”. The Cyber X sat on MG’s stand in Shanghai alongside a special edition of the Cyberster, which also debuted new light modifications at the show.
At 4.3m, the Cyber X is only slightly shorter than the new MGS5 SUV. However, a production version of the Cyber X would likely make use of an all-new MG platform, developed by parent company SAIC, making use of the latest cell-to-body technology to boost space inside, increase body stiffness and potentially add off-road ability, too. It’s also possible that the size of the Cyber X could change, possibly lowering the roof and making the car a bit smaller.
The show car’s pop-up headlights are the star attraction, with the lidded sections of the lights rising from each side of the bonnet to reveal twin LED headlights underneath.
A full-width LED light bar runs across the flat front and a bold, illuminated MG Octagon badge sits underneath that in the middle. The sides of the car are smooth and uncluttered, with a slightly proud shoulder line that kicks up over the rear wheels, as does the rear-most side window. The wheel arches are squared off, but the car looks rugged enough to do without any extra body cladding.
The hatchback door at the rear is almost vertical with just a slight step out beneath the window as a continuation of the side shoulder line. There’s another full-width LED light bar at the back which, like the one at the front, wraps around the corners of the car. Another illuminated MG badge sits on the boot door, although this is likely to be red rather than white on a production version.
The Cyber X was shown without an interior. Kaban hinted that it would be just as bold and that it would be relatively quick to turn the concept into production reality if public reaction is good enough.
