MG has taken a risk by introducing a battery-electric roadster in a crossover-infested industry. It's called the Cyberster and will fully grace the brand's showrooms on the right side of the Atlantic Ocean in 2024, launching in mainland Europe and the United Kingdom next summer.
The automaker, which is owned by SAIC, has refrained from releasing the juicy details about it. Nonetheless, we still know a few things about it due to the information dropped by China's MIIT (Ministry of Industry and Information Technology).
It measures 178.7 inches (4.54 meters) long and has a 105.9-inch (2.69 meters) long wheelbase. The model weighs 4,079 pounds (1,850 kg), meaning that it's a heavyweight contender in what should be a featherweight class. It sports an appealing design with short front and rear overhangs, LED headlamps that appear to have been inspired by those of modern-day Porsches, arrow-like lighting units at the other end joined by a full-width light strip, a pointy nose featuring MG's logo, a raked windscreen, and butterfly doors.
Regarding power, let's just say the new MG Cyberster won't break any speed records. It is understood to launch with two single-motor setups with rear-wheel drive. The entry-level model will reportedly have 310 horsepower on tap, whereas the mid-spec version is understood to feature 335 horses. Some believe a dual-motor version is in the pipeline, with a rumored 536 horsepower combined available at a hard push of the fun pedal. The battery of the range-topping variant could be the same one used on the MG4 EV, a 64 kWh unit.
MG's upcoming Cyberster is a well-deserved breath of fresh air in today's crossover-infused world, and there is a huge problem with it immediately. Its overall size and shape will place it in the same region as the next-gen Porsche 718 Boxster. In case you haven't heard, the German open-top model will feature an all-electric powertrain, so the MG should be very darn good in order to steal some sales from its rival. But you know what would give it an advantage? You're right if you said a different body style, as it is one potential answer.
As for the what kind part of the question, since we don't have enough Shooting Brakes, why not turn it into a sporty three-door machine? This is exactly what Theottle did recently, with the rendering artist dropping a short video that shows the pixel-altering process that gave birth to this digital model. We're suckers for real Shooting Brakes, and we think the car world would be a better place with more such vehicles. The MG Cyberster is one potential proposal, and we've got to know if you'd buy one if the company decided to make it. So, would you?
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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