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A production version of the MG Cyber X concept could be on UK roads by 2027, UK boss David Allison has told Autocar.

The rugged, boxy SUV concept, which previews the second model in MG's fashion-focused Cyber line-up, was revealed earlier this year at the Shanghai motor show.

Asked by Autocar if we could see a production version here within the next two years, Allison said: “I think it's very possible. One of the things that has always impressed me very much about the way that this company operates is the speed of development."

He added: "It's not unusual that we will show something and very, very quickly it turns into a real thing."

The Cyber X is a bold, two-box, 4x4-inspired crossover measuring 4.3 metres long - making it roughly the same size as the Land Rover Defender 90 and slotting it in below the 4.5m-long MG S5 EV that recently arrived in the UK.

It has been revealed in concept form without an interior, but MG parent company SAIC’s design boss Jozef Kaban suggested to Autocar that the speed of development in China means it could quickly be made production-ready.

Allison said: "We are very much in favour of something like this coming to the UK."

He added that the UK "is MG's biggest market" and so his team is "quite fortunate" with the "real" influence they have over future products, such as how they should be positioned and kitted out.

This was because "if you can develop a car that would work in the UK, you can sell it pretty much everywhere".

Speaking at its unveiling, chief designer Kaban explained that the priority of the concept is to demonstrate how the more enthusiast-focused Cyber line-up could be expanded and to bring a new character to the MG family. 

"One thing we have been talking about is the passion of MG and delivering experience, which is not just going from A to B but a pleasure which makes you happy," he said.

While the Cyber X previews a sibling to the Cyberster electric sports car and would likely share its fundamental underpinnings and technologies, it takes a radically different design approach - as part of Kaban’s plan to give the Cyber line-up as broad an appeal as possible.

"When you see the Cyberster, it's soft like a circle, with almost no edges, and with the other one coming, it's almost like plus and minus. They are completely different. But plus cannot live without minus. Their contrasts bring people together."

Kaban highlighted the octagonal outline of MG's emblem as a shape that could be interpreted as a "square circle or a round square" - a theme he says translates to the radically different design treatment for the sleek, flowing Cyberster and its brutalist new SUV sibling.

"The point is to show that we are so diverse, we are different, and MG is the brand which is able to handle two characters, because they will have one thing in common: the joy in connecting people and in being fun to have."

Kaban said that the priority with the Cyber X's design was to "give families an emotional car, to give them joy by not needing to compromise at the stage of life when they have a family". 

The production version of the Cyber X will be MG's third distinct SUV model in Europe. It's only slightly smaller than the ZS and S5, but Kaban said its radically different design and positioning means it can co-exist with its high-riding rangemates.

"Of course we have the HS and ZS, and they are going to live, but we could give another star next to them to shine, to make the family even stronger."

Kaban said the Cyber X's monolithic silhouette is not a reflection of a desire to rethink traditional SUV designs but rather a recognition that "being a little bit edgy doesn't need to hurt".

He referenced the unusual pop-up headlights – "like a [Ferrari] Testarossa" – as a particular design highlight, saying that the advent of the 'digital world' means some historic car design differentiators have been lost and the Cyber X concept is designed to explore ways of bringing some of that character back.

Xpeng has updated its Tesla Model Y rival, the G6 crossover, with a round of styling tweaks and new battery technology that the firm claims will make it the fastest-charging EV in its class.

The Chinese EV maker's mid-sized electric SUV was only revealed two years ago and has been on sale in the UK for just a few months, but it has already received a facelift to bring it up to date with its range-mates and rivals.

Chief among the updates is a huge hike in maximum charging speed, from 280kW to 451kW. That's quick enough, Xpeng says, to give a 10-80% charge in just 12 minutes - although public chargers in the UK currently top out at around 350kW.

Xpeng has not revealed how long the battery can sustain those peak charging speeds.

Full specifications remain to be confirmed, but the new G6 claims a maximum range of 326 miles from the biggest-battery variant, suggesting a decrease in outright capacity over the previous Long Range car, which claimed 354 miles between charges. 

The changes under the floor come alongside a visual refresh, which brings a new full-width front light bar – following in the footsteps of its recently restyled Tesla rival – along with colour-coded wheel arches, a sleeker rear diffuser and a subtle rear spoiler.

Updates inside include new wood-grain dashboard trim and various material quality improvements, and there is now the option of a digital rear-view mirror on higher-spec cars.

Orders are now open in Europe for the updated G6 ahead of deliveries starting at the end of summer, but the firm's UK importer International Motors has yet to confirm when it will land here - although a public debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed suggests it is not far away.

The G6's upgrades are matched by the firm's flagship G9 SUV – although charging for that model is boosted to an even higher peak speed of 530kW. Already on sale in Europe, the Audi Q6 E-tron rival is expected to launch in the UK in the coming months.

Welcome to the final of our four-part interview series where we’ve been finding out what Audi’s iconic slogan – Vorsprung durch Technik, or progress through technology – means on a deeper, more personal level to people at the cutting edge of Audi design and engineering. 

Here we sit down with Ramon Bäurle, the interior design expert behind the cockpits of the new all-electric Audi A6 e-tron and the Q6 e-tron.

Also in the series: Exterior design extraordinaire Frank Lamberty; head of aerodynamics and aeroacoustics Dr. Moni Islam; and lighting designer Christoph Häußinger.

Discover the all-electric Audi e-tron range

Introduce yourself and what you do…My name is Ramon Bäurle and I'm an interior designer at Audi. There are lots of elements to my job. When coming up with a new concept, we start with a completely blank piece of paper, which is exciting because we are literally coming up with the future of Audi’s cars.

We’re constantly working in competition with other designers to make sure Audi selects the very best sketches or designs.

What’s your personal interpretation of Vorsprung durch Technik?

To me, personally, I would split Vorsprung durch Technik into two pieces. First, Vorsprung, which means being ahead, or leading. But not just leading, you really have to be ahead when you translate it from its German meaning. But this in itself is challenging, because leading is hard to plan, you know?

You can try to set it as a goal, and you can motivate yourself to reach this goal and always work hard to fulfill it, but there's no guarantee that you’ll manage it. But for me this in itself is motivation – having a clear goal which you want to achieve, which will basically make you better than everything else.

And then the second part, ‘through technology’, is basically what we do at Audi which is to always question whether there is a better solution, a better way of doing things. In the design department we have implemented new technologies in the quest for better results. We transitioned from physical modeling to a more digital process. We also now use virtual reality glasses to evaluate early-stage designs. All of this is to ensure the customer has the best experience possible inside their Audi.

Where do you find inspiration for your work?

As a designer, I see inspiration basically everywhere – it doesn’t matter what it is. It can be fashion, it can be architecture, it can be other products. Everything has its own design aesthetics and uses different materials, which makes them interesting to analyse.

And sometimes you’ll see something random and you just can’t forget it. You think: ‘Why have they designed it like this? How has it been manufactured? Could I achieve something similar? Why is this particular product higher quality than another?’. These are all very interesting and important questions that go through a designer’s head.

What makes for good interior design?

A good interior is a combination of several key elements that make up a perfectly balanced product. First, a good interior needs strong technical clarity. All the features need to be integrated in a way that’s not distracting, helps the driver and passenger, and has a strong, clear theme. A good interior also gives strong weighting to both the driver and the passenger, because the passenger is an essential person.

A good interior also has to match the essence of the car, whether it’s a car that’s more angled towards the driving experience, or a car where you’re more connected to your surroundings through connectivity features – a car designed for long distances, for example.

And a good interior has to use the right materials. High-quality materials can make a huge difference in both physical and perceived value, so it’s important that all the touchpoints close to the driver and the passenger are of the highest possible quality.

Exquisite interior design has always been a core pillar of Audi’s Vorsprung durch Technik ethos. Which Audi’s from the past were milestones in this regard?

I think it's very difficult to say because there have been so many. Right now, I think the latest generation of Audi TT has an amazing interior. It has amazing details. The digital air vents with the indication in the display are great both from a technology and a design point of view.

Looking back through history, the Audi 100 had a very nice dashboard. Its wrap-around design is something we still see in our cars today. Its dashboard was also trimmed in wood material, which was kind of unique for a car like this back in those days. 

And I have to say the R8, no matter which generation, has this really strong, almost monoposto (single-seat), architecture where the steering wheel is very much the centre of attention to create this really sporty race-car feeling – it’s fantastic.

The Audi Q6 e-tron and A6 e-tron share the same overarching interior design ethos. What was the vision before pen had even touched paper?

The initial vision when we started with the interior design for the Q6 e-tron was to have a strong design theme which is very, very clean. One which combines all the digital elements seamlessly and in a way that doesn’t distract the driver at all. We also had a strong vision to create a sort of 360-degree wrap-around architecture which combines the dashboard with the door.

Both the Q6 e-tron and A6 e-tron have a completely new interior philosophy which channels Audi’s Vorsprung durch Technik spirit. What are the highlights?

The overall design philosophy in both interiors is driven by what we call aesthetic intelligence. This is made up of four key pillars which define the overarching ethos.

The first pillar is human centric. This is all about how the driver and passengers feel inside the car. The comfort. The connection to what’s happening immediately around them. To achieve this, we’ve designed the architecture of the car in such a way that it feels like it’s completely surrounding you. This is what we call a soft-wrap design, where the dashboard and door come together as one seamless entity.

The second pillar is the digital stage, and this is where Audi’s Vorsprung durch Technik philosophy really shines through. This incorporates all of the digital elements of the interior, including the interaction light on the dashboard which gives you notifications via ambient lighting. The curved panoramic touchscreen which has been designed for maximum size and clarity while also being easy to operate for the driver. The passenger touchscreen which, for the first time ever, allows the passenger to interact with the setting of the car. And the augmented reality head-up display which makes driving easier and safer.

The third pillar is visual clarity. Ensuring that every element of the interior is integrated beautifully and comes together in one seamless sculpture. This soft-wrap architecture also plays a big part in this.

And finally there’s the material-driven design. This isn’t just about ensuring the interior uses high-quality materials, but also emphasising the look and feel of the materials with shapes and lighting. We use three dimensional shapes which catch the light in certain ways. On the top, we have areas which are more in the dark, so there's more shadow, which means the material is really presented in its best shape.

And then there are some features that appear in the A6 e-tron specifically, like the virtual wing mirrors. These were first introduced on the Audi Q8 e-tron, but customers told us that the interior screens were too low in the door, so looking at them didn’t feel natural. For the A6 e-tron, these have been moved up where traditional wing mirrors would be, making for a much easier user experience.

And then there’s the panoramic sunroof with switchable transparency, which allows you to control exactly how much light enters the cabin which gives a very nice look and feel to the interior.

Where do you think Vorsprung durch Technik will take Audi in the future?

I think our Vorsprung durch Technik philosophy means Audi will continue to always question and re-question the tools which it uses and the features which it offers its customers. For interior design this is particularly important because it is essential to offer the customer exactly what they want, and live up to their expectations of what an interior should be.

Discover the all-electric Audi e-tron range