New MG Cyberster EV Roadster

Autocar magazine 26th January 2022 on sale now. Link

Some key questions are inevitable

> MG’s future, touching on our heritage
 It's a low slung, sleek, sharp edged design really a practical sportscar for young and older MG enthusiasts?

> How does it relate to Syd Enever's aims for the successful MGB Roadster?
 Comments Syd Enever made to the press at the launch of the MGB in 1962:

o "Our aim is to give Sportscar motoring to as many people as possible, and to give it to them at the right price".

o "We do not want to make a small quantity of high priced, specialised cars for the few".

o "At the same time we set out to provide the fastest possible car, combined with the greatest possible degree of safety".

What do you feel about the new MG Cyberster EV Roadster?
What are your views on the arrival of a new MG sportscar, its design, style, usability and the likely price of this new MG and which segments of the sportscar market do you feel it may appeal to and attract as buyers. Which sportscars available in the market will be attractive alternatives, like the longrunning and successful Mazda MX5 or MGF & TF?
Post your views on the V8BB thread

Posted: 220126

New MG Cyberster EV Roadster on the front cover of the latest issue of Autocar magazine
Autocar call it "MG's Renaissance" and add "Think you know MG? Think again. Meet the new guard". Online Autocar refer to it as "a cut-price Porsche 718 Boxster rival, and together with a £20k EV hatch and a BMW-baiting coupe all on the cards, the future is looking bright for the MG brand."

Comments from Maeve Rich on Motor Biscuit website
"The MG Cyberster is a two-seater convertible that was displayed at the Shanghai Auto show in April 2021. It’s reminiscent of the old school MG Roadster that was sold until the 1980s, though this MG will be electric and come with some upgrades. It has a sleek design and fancy light-up front grill, which is perhaps the best part of it. It has “hacker blade” wheels and a flattened “kamm tail” rear.

MG says that the Cyberster will have a range of 500 miles and get from 0 to 60 in less than three seconds. If it holds true though, it would make it an attractive electric sports car to a lot of people. The director of SAIC Design Advanced London, Carl Gotham, said: “The Cyberster is a bold statement that looks strongly into MG’s future, touching on our heritage but more importantly building on our technology and advanced design.”

How did crowdfunding make the concept MG Cyberster to Reality?
Maeve Rich says "according to Jalopnik, the MG Cyberster went from idea to reality through a sort of crowdfunding campaign. It’s only a sort of crowdfunding campaign because it isn’t like SAIC needed the US$775,000 raised via US$155 payments to SAIC. However, it’s possible that SAIC used people’s willingness to spend the money to fund the project as a gauge on how the MG Cyberster would sell, were it to become mass-produced. The MG Cyberster will be the first roadster-type vehicle made by SAIC."

Autoweek reports that "while MG has been popular in Europe since the company was bought by SAIC in the mid-2000s, there haven’t been any new roadster-type vehicles in that time. That’s because the markets where SAIC operates have different priorities - instead, “sedans, hatchbacks, and crossovers” make up the bulk of SAIC’s car sales there. MG’s website states that they currently have three plug-in EVs in the UK: the MG Zs EV, the MG5 EV, and the MG HS Plug-In Hybrid. Unfortunately, MGs aren’t sold in the United States, and this means that it’s unlikely that we’ll see any of these EVs – including the MG Cyberster. Even if people in the United States won’t directly benefit from the MG Cyberster’s production, that doesn’t mean it won’t be exciting to see it once it’s ready for the road. With its sleek design and fancy grill, it promises to be a stylish car with an EV excellent range. The fact that it is electric makes it feel appropriately relevant in today’s auto market."