The new MG Cyber GTS charged up the show at the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed on Thursday. MG unveiled its new two-door electric sports car, a hardtop variant of its Cyberster EV. In China, the new EV is already being compared to Porsche’s iconic 911.
After the Goodwood Festival of Speed officially kicked off on Thursday, July 11th, several new electric models made their first appearance. We already talked about the Polestar 6 Concept BST, and now MG is asking for our attention.
‘Flaming red lips’
Shao Jingfeng, Deputy Chief Designer at the Chinese, partly state-owned car manufacturer SAIC Motor (now owner of MG), described it as a “two-door, four-seat hardtop sports car with flaming red lips.”
As part of the brand’s 100th anniversary, the Cyber GTS is a hardtop version of its Cyberster roadster. MG launched its Cyberster electric sports car last November, poised to hit overseas markets this summer.
Shao Jingfeng said the all-electric Cyberster fuses the “iconic roadster heritage” with modern design. Although the new Cyber GTS is a concept, it’s expected to go into production and could also target overseas markets, just like the Cyberster Roadster.
MG’s new hardtop EV sports car seems to have been influenced by the MGC GTS Sebring race car. It also has design elements from the Cyberster, including similar air intakes and headlights.
A Chinese 911?
However, unlike the Cyberster, the new Cyber GTS is a “real 2+2″, MG’s advanced design chief, Carl Gotham, explained.
Chinese media are already comparing MG’s new hardtop electric sports car to Porsche’s 911. Its low-riding profile, aggressive wheel arches, and broad backside are similar.
According to MG, the Cyber Cube platform, which underpins the Cyberster, can support a hardtop model. MG’s electric sports car Cyberster is for sale in China in three versions, priced from $44,000 (RMB 319,800) to $50,000 (RMB 359,800).
Technical twins
MG offers the Cyberster roadster in single-motor and dual-motor options. The single-motor models feature 231 kW and 250 kW power, respectively. The top motorization is the dual-motor trim, adding a 150 kW electric motor on the front with the 250 kW rear motor. With up to 400 kW output, the dual-motor Cyberster can sprint from 0 to 100 kph in 3.2 seconds.
The base Cyberster model has a 64 kWh battery and a range of up to 501 km (Chinese CLTC standard). The 250 kW motor trim features a bigger 77 kWh battery, good for up to 580 km CLTC range. MG’s dual-motor model has a range of up to 520 km CLTC.
Although MG has yet to officially reveal the specs for its new Cyber GTS, it is expected to be closely related to the Cyberster. With the 60-year celebration of the iconic MGB GT in 2025, the EV sports coupé could come as soon as next year.
Parading at Goodwood
As classic motor shows disappear or change into other (hybrid) concepts, the car industry is looking for other places to show its products. One of these is the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas (at the beginning of the year), and another is the yearly event in Goodwood, England, where the ‘Festival of Speed’ is held every July (this year from 11 to 14 July).
The UK has been missing a real motor show for decades now. Birmingham has long been the place for Britons to look at cars, and there have been several attempts in London. Goodwood is now profiling itself as the meeting place for the car industry at the beginning of the summer.
The famous ‘Hill Climb’ through the park (Lord March’s estate) attracts manufacturers who want to show something sporty or special. Goodwood seduces many car enthusiasts twice a year: at the Festival of Speed in July and at the ‘Revival’ in September, where the emphasis lies on oldtimers and the whole ‘very British’ environment of the fifties and sixties.
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