MG electric hypercar concept claims 0-100km/h in 1.9 seconds
24/04/2024 04:13
The radically-styled electric hypercar is inspired by a former speed record holder – but it is just a concept.
Chinese car giant MG has unveiled the EXE181, an electric hypercar concept claimed to have one of the world's most aerodynamically efficient bodies and a 1.9-second 0-100km/h time.
It would make the MG – one of the many concepts and production vehicles being shown at this week's upcoming Beijing motor show – a contender for the quickest-accelerating car in the world, if it were to ever see production.
Unveiled in China this week in a series of images ahead of a public debut expected to follow, MG has released few technical details on the futuristic vehicle just yet – which does not include the power output.
The company claims the show car – which has only been shown in computer illustrations – 'defies the land speed record' in a written statement.
It claims a drag coefficient (Cd) of 0.18 – a match for the 2022 Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX concept, but better than the Mercedes EQS sedan's 0.20 Cd and the 0.19 figure for the 2013 Volkswagen XL1 – two of the most aerodynamic production cars ever made.
The Aspark Owl claims quicker acceleration than the EXE181's 1.9-second 0-100km/h sprint, but the Japanese electric hypercar's 1.72-second claim is from 0-60mph, which converts to 0-97km/h.
The same applies to the Lucid Air Sapphire's 1.89-second time, again measured to 97km/h.
The quickest MG production car to date is the upcoming Cyberster electric sports convertible with a 3.2-second claimed 0-100km/h time.
The MG's concept's teardrop-shaped design – and name – was reportedly inspired by the car maker's EX 181 'record car' of the 1950s, powered by a 1.5-litre supercharged four-cylinder engine from the MGA sports car of the time.
British driver Stirling Moss – most famous for his sports car and Formula One racing career – drove the original EX 181 to a 'Class F' Land Speed Record of 245.64mph (395.31km/h) for vehicles with engines between 1.0- and 1.5-litres on 23 August 1957.
US racer Phil Hill returned to the Bonneville Salt Flats in his home country where Moss set the record to go even faster in the EX 181, posting 254.91 mph (410.23km/h) in 1959.
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