MG. Production version of the electric roadster
The British MG brand returns to the production of sports cars. MG introduced the production version of the electric roadster just 2 years after the debut of the Cyberster Concept. In 2021, SAIC, which owns MG, presented the concept of an impressive electric roadster capable of accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in less than 3 seconds, providing a driving range of 800 km. And more recently, the production version was noticed in China, but it will be officially unveiled at the 2023 Shanghai Motor Show. Sales will begin in the first half of 2024.
MG has released several roadster models in the past, as befits a true British brand, but the last time a new roadster was released was 28 years ago: it was a mid-engined rear-wheel drive MG F, 2-door 2-seater convertible produced by Roewe under the MG label from 1995 to 2002.
What do we know about the newcomer?
Cyberster is most likely not the final name of the model. It is known that earlier MG has registered the C EV designation, which can be used for the roadster. It’s unlikely that the new MG electric roadster will be as extreme as the concept, but some design elements will definitely be transferred to the production car, such as taillights with British flag-style graphics. The Magic Eye headlights were replaced with the standard LED front optics. The production Cyberster differs from the concept in more balanced proportions, “normal” wheels and mirrors. The production roadster will get a folding soft top rather than the more versatile hardtop, hinting at a possible Cyberster-based coupe in the future. The process of opening the roof, apparently, takes no more than 10 seconds.
Nothing is known about the technical stuffing of the production MG electric roadster, but, most likely, the roadster will share the MSP (Modular Scalable Platform) by SAIC with the hatchback MG 4 Electric. The entry-level version will have a single electric motor and rear-wheel drive, while at the top-end version will be an all-wheel drive, twin-engine roadster with around 450 hp. Due to the relatively short wheelbase, the battery capacity will be limited, the driving range of around 300 km.
But, more importantly, MG promises that the price of the new model won’t be higher than that of modern roadsters from other brands with a traditional internal combustion engine. At the moment, only the Tesla Roadster can be listed as a Cyberster competitor, however, it will clearly be expensive.
In 2023, the Israeli market will offer the MG 4 Electric hatchback released in 2022. It is equipped with two batteries to choose from with a driving range of 350 or 450 km. In the UK market, the price of the MG 4 is about 10,000 pounds (about 42,000 shekels) lower than its direct competitors, the Volkswagen ID.3 or Cupra Born. We can only hope that the brand will follow the same pricing policy in Israel.
