June 2024: Australian MG Cyberster price range revealed
MG’s return to the world of sports cars is getting closer, with Australian pricing announced this week for the new Cyberster roadster.
Arriving as the brand’s most expensive new model by a wide margin, the fast MG Cyberster will be priced between $100,000 to $150,000 – with exact numbers to be revealed later this year.
That money will get you the Cyberster in flagship performance form, with only the 77kWh AWD variant coming to Australia. In that hero guise, MG’s roadster will deliver 400kW and 725Nm, charging to 100km/h in just 3.2 seconds.
“Dealers are taking orders as we speak”, MG Australia sales manager Brad Chruszcz said this week.
“We will be bringing in limited numbers of these cars into the country, so it’ll definitely be a case of supply versus demand – given the interest we’ve already had from the public and our 90-plus dealers.”
⬇ Read on for more details on the Cyberster.
April 2023: MG Cyberster unveiled
MG has officially revealed the design of the new MG Cyberster, its all-electric, drop-top sports car.
Presented in a series of images by the SAIC-owned firm, the Cyberster premieres a sleek new design language reminiscent of MG’s historic sporting heritage.
The model’s design was leaked earlier this month by government filings in China, which suggested it will measure 4535mm long, 1913mm wide and 1329mm high – slightly larger than the Porsche 718 Boxster and significantly bigger than the Mazda MX-5.
The Cyberster’s powertrain line-up was also detailed, revealing the Cyberster would be offered in both single- and dual-motor specifications. Entry-level, single-motor models offer 230kW, while dual-motor models offer up to 400kW.
Weight varies depending on the specification, with single-motor variants tipping the scales at 1850kg. In its heaviest form, the Cyberster weighs 1985kg. Several wheel designs and badge styles were also revealed.
Inside, meanwhile, the Cyberster makes use of a Tesla-style yoke steering wheel and several digital screens for infotainment and driving data.
The Cyberster will be launched in 2024 with the aim of attracting new buyers in new segments, and right-hand drive production is confirmed. For now, only the UK has confirmed it will take RHD production although Australia is a strong market for MG.
Set to help MG continue its steep growth trajectory, the Cyberster will also significantly expand the brand’s product portfolio as it approaches its centenary in 2024.
In the 16 years since being acquired by the Chinese state-owned SAIC, MG has established itself as a leading maker of value-oriented yet well-equipped and safe family cars.
Crucial to this goal will be the introduction of new cars with an all-new product line, designated Cyber in reference to its five primary priorities: co-creating, young, beyond, evolution and recreation.
The initiative was first outlined last year with the unveiling of the Cyberster concept – an electric roadster that at once nodded to MG’s heritage as a British sports car manufacturer and previewed the technical capabilities and functionality of its future cars.
Cyberster production was approved after the Shanghai motor show as a result of a successful crowdfunding campaign in which more than 5000 prospective buyers signed up to MG’s interactive Cybercube platform, allowing them to inform development of the production car. It’s now set to be launched as part of MG’s centenary celebrations.
A brand spokesman said: “We are working on a surprise for you guys. Of course we know we were the affordable sports car brand in the past, and now we are the new electric vehicle brand, and we will surprise you. We will be in markets that nobody has been in before.”
Indeed, no mainstream brand has yet launched an affordable, convertible electric sports car.
While some of the concept’s more outlandish features will be lost, MG’s UK design boss, Carl Gotham, hinted that a toned-down version will make it to dealerships, calling it “a bold statement that looks strongly into MG’s future, touching on our heritage but more importantly building on our cutting-edge technology and advanced design”.
Beyond its design, the Cyberster indicates the shift in priorities for MG with its new range of EVs.
“Sports cars are the lifeblood of the MG DNA, and the Cyberster is a hugely exciting concept for us,” said Gotham, suggesting that now MG has established itself with mainstream cars, it can afford to explore other segments.
That said, the 2017 E-Motion sports coupé concept has yet to reach production, despite patents filed in 2020 revealing a seemingly road-ready design.
The Cyberster sits on an all-new platform built around 2017 E-Motion coupe concept is supposed to become production car a ‘cell-to-pack’ battery, which does away with the conventional module structure used by current EVs in the name of increased production efficiency and power density. It’s claimed to yield an 800km range.
A single motor, using the same efficiency-boosting ‘hairpin’ wiring technology as the ZS EV and presumably mounted at the rear, supplies a sub-3.0sec 0-100km/h time.