MG’s new electric successor to the MG B and MG F sports cars has scissor doors, a convertible fabric roof, and unique steering yoke.
MG will soon reveal its new electric roadster, and it will go into right-hand drive production, although Australia is yet to be confirmed as an on-sale market.
According to the brand’s head of product and planning in the UK, David Allison, the model is going on sale in that country “mid to late 2024″. Speaking to Automotive Daily, Allison said that the model might be revealed as early as this year.
The zero-emissions convertible will be based on the same MSP platform as the MG4 EV hatchback, Allison confirmed, which can accommodate rear and all-wheel drive layouts, various battery sizes and is set to receive an 800-volt charging system for faster tops up in the near future. However, MG is still deliberating on the specifics for the ‘MGC EV’ sports car, as we expect it to be badged.
Allison couldn’t provide a price estimate, either, but did say “Like MG4, we want to be seen to be offering something different, and I think with that comes a disruptive price which is something we’ll definitely be looking to do”.
He added: “How it drives is obviously important, but I think when people get to see the car, they’ll really understand that it’s more than just the drive – the car looks absolutely fantastic, and will look very different to anything that’s on the roads at the moment… fundamentally, the car will make you feel fantastic and it will make you look a million dollars as well”.
Addressing the car’s potential balance of focus between outright performance or grand touring, Allison said: “The great thing about the platform is that it gives us the opportunity to do both, so we may well have the opportunity to offer a different setup or different type of package for different people.”
Exactly when MG will tear the covers of its ‘MGC EV’ production model might be uncertain, but we have already had our first glimpse of the car. Patent images of the MG’s drop-top EV filed with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) earlier this year confirmed it to be a toned-down version of the Cyberster – a roofless electric two-seater concept shown at the Shanghai Motor Show in 2021.
Then in July, a teaser video shared on Chinese social-media platform Weibo revealed that more of the Cyberster’s features are being carried over to the production car than initially thought. The most notable is the pair of scissor doors, like those found on Lamborghini supercars.
A shot of the cabin also suggested that the road car has retained a steering yoke – something that’s appearing more frequently in EVs at the moment – and a digital cockpit consisting of three screens in front of the driver, with at least one more on the dashboard, likely for the climate control. You can see a pair of bucket seats and two roll hoops behind them as well.
Both the concept and production cars feature a long bonnet, wide grille and sharp nose up front, which hark back to some iconic roadsters from the likes of the MG, Jaguar, Mazda and Mercedes. Meanwhile, even the production car’s rims are an interpretation of the unique ‘hacker blade’ alloy wheels worn by the original Cyberster.
That said, the Cyberster concept’s active rear wing has been replaced by a much smaller spoiler moulded into the rear deck, and its Union Flag brake lights look more like arrows now, but there’s still a full-width tail-light sitting above the car’s rear diffuser.
The roadgoing model also features a convertible fabric roof, unlike the 2021 concept, which did without one, seemingly inspired by the recent crop of exclusive speedsters from Aston Martin, Ferrari and McLaren. The patent images reveal the car will have regular door mirrors, too, in place of the cameras used on the concept car.
MG claimed a potential 800km range and 0-100km/h time of under three seconds for the Cyberster concept, however, we don’t expect the road going model to match either figure. Though considering the hot version of the MG4 EV hatchback has a dual-motor setup, 330km/h and can hit 0-100km/h in 3.8 seconds, MG’s electric sports car should be quicker than that at least.
MG’s London design studio SAIC Design had teased the low-slung speedster for months, posting various images on social media in the run-up to its unveiling in China. At the time, Carl Gotham, director of SAIC Design in London, said: “Cyberster is a hugely exciting concept for us. The Cyberster is a bold statement that looks strongly to MG’s future, touching on our heritage but more importantly building on our technology and advanced design.”
Now in 2022, Allison said about the future flagship: “Clearly, it’s not going to be a huge volume driver for us, but from a brand, a halo and a legacy point of view, it’s absolutely an interesting direction for us to go.” Meanwhile, Guy Pigounakis, MG Motor UK’s commercial director, told us previously that “expectations will be exceeded”.
Ellis Hyde