In celebration of MG’s 100th anniversary, MG Philippines pulled off an, pardon the pun, electrifying surprise with the confirmation that its all-electric roadster, the MG Cyberster will arrive in the first half of 2024. To that effect, the brand held an advanced preview at their yearend media thanksgiving celebration.
Drawing inspiration from MG’s heritage of producing fun-to-drive, two-seater sportscars such as the MG TC Midget and MGB, the MG Cyberster offers distinctive touches that call on the brand’s rich history, while combining that with a contemporary design.
Envision by SAIC Motor’s Advanced London Design Studio, the Cyberster features a distinctive low nose, curvaceous rear haunches, and a Kammback tail (a trait where the rear slopes before being abruptly cut off with a vertical or near-vertical surface). Further adding to the drama, it not only has a power soft top that folds up or down in just 10 seconds, but power actuated scissor doors as well. At each corner are 20-inch alloy wheels and high-performance Brembo brakes.
The low-slung proportions of the Cyberster are made possible by a new, bespoke electric vehicle architecture. The handling is fine-tuned by Italian Formula 1 engineer Marco Fainello who worked in Scuderia Ferrari from 1997 to 2004. Fainello also worked on the likes of the Ferrari FXX-K, Ferrari 458 GTE, and Ferrari 488 GT.
MG Philippines has yet to reveal the local Cyberster’s powertrain, but globally it comes in three power outputs.
The “base” Cyberster comes with a single 314 horsepower, 475 Nm motor that drives the rear wheels. This version does the 0 to 100 km/h sprint in just 4.9 seconds. Moving up, there’s a more powerful single-motor variant with 340 horsepower and 475 Nm. This version is quoted as having the same century sprint figures, but thanks to a larger battery (77 kWh versus 64 kWh), it can go longer between charges. Finally, there’s the dual motor all-wheel drive. This one has a combined 544 horsepower and 725 Nm of torque enough to drop the 0 to 100 km/h time to just 3.2 seconds.
Inside, the MG Cyberster, it has triple LCD screens centered towards the driver, a flat-bottomed steering wheel, a slew of physical buttons and controls, and acres of leather and Alcantara. The cockpit itself is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chip making it ultra-responsive, while the aural experience is enhanced by a Bose sound system.
The Cyberster serves as an honor to the history of the MG brand. More than that, as the world’s first commercially available two-seat convertible EV (notably beating the Tesla Roadster), it also represents its parent company, SAIC Motor’s strength in technological development.