After 14 years of ownership by Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC), the MG brand has evolved to focus heavily on SUVs. And it's doing quite nicely too in export markets - even New Zealand, where it's a relative newcomer.
The ZS compact-SUV is the 10th best-selling passenger vehicle in NZ for the year-to-date. The ZS EV is also currently NZ's least expensive pure-electric new car, at $48,990.
But MG still likes to reference its sports-car past and tease a few production possibilities.
In 2017 it produced the E-motion coupe concept, a pure-electric two-door that it said could join the range by 2021. We're still waiting.
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MG has now moved on to a new sports concept, the tongue-twisting Cyberster. Set to debut at the 2021 Shanghai Auto Show later this month, the Cyberster has been developed by the MG Advanced Design Centre in London.
"It's a two-door, two-seater sports car recalling the brand’s tradition, drawing a number of styling cues from the classic MGB Roadster."
It features classic circular MG headlights, but coupled with high-tech features like a "laser belt" LED strip down the side of the car.
It features a flattened "kamm tail" rear for better aerodynamics. The tail lamps are of LED construction and are integrated flat into the rear of the car, projecting a digital image that sort of is and sort of isn't a Union Jack. Move over Mini?
The Cyberster’s unspecified all-electric architecture will enable an EV range of 800km and deliver a 0-100km/h time of less than three seconds. It will also feature 5G interconnectivity.
Carl Gotham, director of SAIC Design Advanced London, says: “The Cyberster is a bold statement that looks strongly into MG’s future, touching on our heritage but more importantly building on our cutting edge technology and advanced design.
“Sports cars are the lifeblood of the MG DNA and Cyberster is a hugely exciting concept for us.”
MG is promising more information on the Cyberster when the model is shown at the Shanghai Motor Show (April 21-28).