We’ve been drip fed details of MG’s new electric roadster through leaks over the past year, but now the covers are off: this is the Cyberster. With a lineage that spans from the MG A, MG B and most recently the MG F, the Cyberster will catapult MG back into the convertible sports car market under Chinese owners SAIC.
These latest pictures provide our first official look at the new model, which emerges as a heavily toned down – but still rather striking – interpretation of the Cyberster Roadster concept that debuted at the 2021 Shanghai motor show. Key design themes, including the show car’s sloping nose, rear Kamm-tail and, indeed, scissor doors have been carried through to the production car, which will meet the forthcoming electric Porsche Boxster head on.
Patent files have confirmed that, at 4535mm long and 1913mm wide, the Cyberster has a bigger footprint than the current 718 Boxster, and that sinewy exterior hides serious performance potential beneath. The single-motor Cyberster will generate 309bhp, with the four-wheel drive dual-motor version offering 536bhp – a comparable figure with ICE roadsters from the class above.
Unfortunately, the MG will weigh about as much as bigger petrol-powered convertibles, with the dual-motor version expected to tip the scales at 1985kg – similar to a Mercedes-AMG SL55. Even the two-wheel drive Cyberster will come in at a hefty 1850kg. There’s no word on performance or range, but the Cyberster should dip below 4 second in the sprint to 100kmph, and around 483km of range should be feasible for the single-motor car.
The doors swing upwards to provide access to the Cyberster’s cabin, which cocoons the driver with a high centre console and an angled dashboard. Previous leaks indicate that a yoke-style steering wheel will be available as an option, but the car in these images uses a conventional wheel set in front of a freestanding digital instrument panel. Expect touch interfaces, rather than physical switchgear, to feature heavily throughout.
Primed for release in Europe next year, the Cyberster will be one of the earliest electric roadsters to come to market, as manufacturers explore how to tackle the EV sports car enigma. Models like the Cyberster, Boxster EV and electric Alpine A110 replacement will rely heavily on more sophisticated chassis electronics and augmentation to provide a sense of engagement, and this initial period of experimentation will – we hope – produce some interesting results.