Photo: MG/edited
In case you didn’t know that MG is owned by a Chinese automaker, the press kit for the British marque's all-new sports car features SAIC DESIGN watermarks on every single photo. Described as a high-performance electric sports car, the Cyberster will go on sale in MG's home market of the United Kingdom and Europe in the summer of 2024.
Back when MG wasn't controlled by Chinese state-owned automaker SAIC, the Brits marketed two mid-engined roadsters under the F and TF monikers. Designed back when British Aerospace was running the show, the F launched in 1995 with Rover's K-series I4 engine.
Connected to a five-speed manual, it was a pretty good combo, especially given the F's relatively affordable starting price. What MG used to call TF was a heavy revision of the original. Boasting 20 percent more torsional stiffness and slightly more oomph from the K-series I4 engine in displacements of 1.6 and 1.8 liters, the TF was also assembled in China by Nanjing Automobile, which merged with SAIC back in 2017.
Turning our attention back to the obnoxiously-named Cyberster, the zero-emission roadster promises a powerful all-electric powertrain. That's it! MG didn't bother giving out any concrete numbers, but it sure filled the attached press release with iffy statements like the exterior design paying homage to MG's past roadsters.
On the upside, we do know a thing or two about what's hiding under the modern yet nondescript body shell. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in China, a.k.a. MIIT, has recently spilled the beans on a number of technical details, including the curb weight.
Tipping the scales at a whopping 1,850 kilograms (4,079 pounds) according to the Chinese regulator, the Cyberster can hit 193 kilometers per hour (120 miles per hour) in rear-wheel-drive flavors. Flavors as in two rear-wheel-drive choices, packing 310 horsepower and 335 horsepower. There's also a two-motor variant in the pipeline with a slightly higher curb weight and a slightly higher top speed. We currently do not know how quick any of these variants is to 100 kph (62 mph), though…
Equipped with either 19- or 20-inch wheels, the Cyberster measures 4.54 meters (178.7 inches) in overall length and 2.69 meters (105.9 inches) in terms of wheelbase. Reportedly capable of summoning up to 536 horsepower in dual-motor guise, the Chinese roadster is equipped with a United Auto Battery System nickel-manganese-cobalt battery. Said battery is likely shared with the MG4 EV, which is rocking 64 kWh.
Confirmed for series production today at the Auto Shanghai 2023, the Cyberster is equipped with butterfly doors that open and close in a similar fashion to the doors of the Lamborghini Revuelto. A soft top seals the deal. That being said, would you even consider this car over the electric successor of the Porsche 718 Boxster if you were in the market for a sporty electric roadster?
Connected to a five-speed manual, it was a pretty good combo, especially given the F's relatively affordable starting price. What MG used to call TF was a heavy revision of the original. Boasting 20 percent more torsional stiffness and slightly more oomph from the K-series I4 engine in displacements of 1.6 and 1.8 liters, the TF was also assembled in China by Nanjing Automobile, which merged with SAIC back in 2017.
Turning our attention back to the obnoxiously-named Cyberster, the zero-emission roadster promises a powerful all-electric powertrain. That's it! MG didn't bother giving out any concrete numbers, but it sure filled the attached press release with iffy statements like the exterior design paying homage to MG's past roadsters.
On the upside, we do know a thing or two about what's hiding under the modern yet nondescript body shell. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in China, a.k.a. MIIT, has recently spilled the beans on a number of technical details, including the curb weight.
Tipping the scales at a whopping 1,850 kilograms (4,079 pounds) according to the Chinese regulator, the Cyberster can hit 193 kilometers per hour (120 miles per hour) in rear-wheel-drive flavors. Flavors as in two rear-wheel-drive choices, packing 310 horsepower and 335 horsepower. There's also a two-motor variant in the pipeline with a slightly higher curb weight and a slightly higher top speed. We currently do not know how quick any of these variants is to 100 kph (62 mph), though…
Equipped with either 19- or 20-inch wheels, the Cyberster measures 4.54 meters (178.7 inches) in overall length and 2.69 meters (105.9 inches) in terms of wheelbase. Reportedly capable of summoning up to 536 horsepower in dual-motor guise, the Chinese roadster is equipped with a United Auto Battery System nickel-manganese-cobalt battery. Said battery is likely shared with the MG4 EV, which is rocking 64 kWh.
Confirmed for series production today at the Auto Shanghai 2023, the Cyberster is equipped with butterfly doors that open and close in a similar fashion to the doors of the Lamborghini Revuelto. A soft top seals the deal. That being said, would you even consider this car over the electric successor of the Porsche 718 Boxster if you were in the market for a sporty electric roadster?
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