MG Cyber X could go on sale within two years as spiritual successor to Suzuki Jimny

The MG Cyber X, first revealed at the Shanghai Motor Show in April, could go on sale in the UK and other global markets within two years according to UK product and planning boss, David Allison. It’s thought the Land Rover Defender and Mercedes G-Class-inspired SUV will shrink in size slightly to fill the gap left by the Suzuki Jimny, which was killed off soon after its launch due to increasingly stringent emissions regulations.

Speaking from MG’s show stand at the 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed, where the brand unveiled the IM5 and IM6 electric cars, Allison said he would be “very much in favour” of MG launching a production version of the Cyber X, and could see it happening “within the next two years”.

Compared with the ZS, HS and the new all-electric MGS5 EV, the Cyber X showed off a completely new design on the show stand in China. At the time, MG said the Cyber X “echoes the spirit of young people to explore”. To back up this claim, the Cyber X is equipped with chunky off-road tyres in MG’s pictures, although the model we saw on the Shanghai stage had a normal, road-biased design. 

The Cyber X has a boxy, upright design despite it being an EV, which suggests that MG is prioritising rugged off-road style over efficiency. At the front we can see a full-width lightbar on a bluff nose, with an illuminated MG badge at its centre. The windscreen is also upright, there are angled wheelarches and, to the rear, another lightbar.

While we expect the styling to be toned down slightly for production, MG will be keen to keep the car’s bold looks, which will probably be a huge selling point, while differentiating itself from other models in the range.

“Someone buying [a Cyber X] would never buy a ZS”, Allison told us, suggesting he isn’t worried about the chunky SUV cannibalising sales in the UK. He also told us he expects the forthcoming production model “may be a little smaller; like a spiritual successor to the [Suzuki] Jimny.

“That kind of upright stance, that kind of utilitarian look of the car – I think that would be very appealing”, he said. “It would last quite well, as well.”

When pushed on this positioning, Allison said: “You know where we price our cars”. Asked if the starting price could start from less than £30,000, he said: “Easily. But that’s for the future”.

Underpinning the Cyber X will be a new E3 architecture from MG’s parent company SAIC, making this the first MG to utilise the technology. The platform will incorporate ‘cell-to-body’ technology, similar to what we’ve seen on new Leapmotor EVs recently. Not only should this style of battery fitting create more space in the cabin, it should also give the Cyber X extra ground clearance to help back up those chunky looks.

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