MG Cyberster – Back to the Roots
The Chinese brand with ultra-British roots is bringing a roadster to the European market in 2024 for the first time since the MG F of the late 1990s with the Cyberster. Carl Gotham, Director of SAIC Design Advanced in London, discusses the emotions, traditions, and visions that have been incorporated into the fully electric sports car's design and the design process itself. An interview about scissor doors, proportions, and designer dreams.
MG is building roadsters again. Why?
Carl Gotham: “It has been a long-cherished dream to build a sports car with the MG brand again. MG has a great tradition and stands for British sports cars like hardly any other brand. But the MG octagon also symbolizes pioneering spirit, standing at the forefront of a development. The Cyberster is a commitment to that.”
What does MG Motor aim to achieve with the design of the Cyberster?
C.G.: "The basic briefing for the Cyberster stems from the brand's tradition, but also from the desire to provide a glimpse into the future. The design of the Cyberster should embody the virtues of a purely electric sports car. At SAIC Design Advanced's studio, we started early with research and experimentation to see what such a car could look like. It was a daunting task, but one we greatly enjoyed."
How do you take the first step in such a task?
C.G.: "The original idea for the concept may have come from me personally, but our Design Chief Robert Lemmens and Senior Designer Joscha Thielen were heavily involved in the creative process. The first concepts were sketched by hand - classic pen on paper. Based on these, we made a preliminary selection and tried to combine the designs that really spoke to us and met the briefing."
And what happened next?
C.G.: "After approval, the digital phase began, during which we worked on the dimensions and developed the details with increasing refinement. The form created from this refinement is checked with VR technology. From the virtual model, a clay model is then machine-produced, which is then manually refined using various modeling techniques."
How would you describe the character of the Cyberster?
C.G.: "The Cyberster is a modern interpretation of the MG brand. We've emphasized the traditional proportions, meaning a long hood and a passenger cell set further back. The front section with the open headlights gives the car a friendly, approachable character, especially because of the traditional, sloping fender lines that extend from the door into the rear lines. The deep air intake at the nose aids in vehicle cooling while also referencing past MG grille designs."
But not only the front, the rear is also remarkable. What's behind the Kammback design?
C.G.: "The lines at the rear embody a sense of power. Aerodynamics played a major role in the development of the MG Cyberster. Air flows over the deep, long front section and over the car. The rear is precisely set and edgier to break the airflow. The light strip at the rear is a fine line, highlighting the electric nature of the car."
And then there's a special eye-catcher …
C.G.: “Indeed, the doors are a special element of this car. The scissor doors move more vertically in the MG Cyberster, a surprise-and-delight feature.”
The MG Cyberster is coming to Europe just in time for the brand's 100th anniversary. What does MG Motor associate with its market launch?
C.G.: “MG is currently one of the fastest-growing automotive brands in Europe. The MG Cyberster is also a real statement of intent. For those who do not yet have the brand on their radar, it grabs attention and provides the impetus to engage more with what MG Motor is doing now and what will come in the future.”
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