2024 MG Cyberster coming to Malaysia, Gen Z’s first super sports car under RM500k?

Fans of EVs, convertibles, and sports cars alike should have plenty to cheer about as it looks like the MG Cyberster is set to be receiving a Malaysian launch this year - within the next 6 months, most likely.

This was confirmed during the press conference following the launch of the MG4 and MG ZS EV yesterday where SAIC Motor Malaysia Managing Director, Steven Du, said the Cyberster’s wider global rollout is very much contingent on the concluded development of a right-hand drive version, which he expects by Q3 2024.

Concurrent with that statement, the car had also been gracing the eyes of attendees at the ongoing Bangkok International Motor Show, in right-hand drive guise too. Word on the ground there suggests a price of THB 2,499,000 (around RM324k) when it does launch by the end of the year.

With that in mind, it should be the perfect halo model to sit alongside the aforementioned ZS EV and MG4, assuming SAIC doesn’t have yet more models to surprise us with by then.

What is the MG Cyberster?

The Cyberster is a convertible sports car, but like many new MG models, this one eschews combustion power in favour of a BEV powertrain. It draws from the brand’s history as one of the champions of the classic ‘British roadster’ formula of a compact, lightweight, and open top two-seaters such as the MGA and MGB.

Here in 2024, the launch of any two-door enthusiast/fun-focused new car of any description is a rare encounter, and even seemingly nonexistent in an EV space that’s dominated by crossovers, so it’s refreshing to see MG blazing their own trail by looking to its past.

Sure, the Cyberster’s long bonnet and ground-hugging body are classic cues for a convertible sports car while its signature red colour does evoke the people’s favourite Mazda MX-5, often seen as the spiritual successor to those British roadsters of old. That said, it’s powered scissor doors and 1,850kg kerb weight are elements that run counter to its British roadster roots.

Interestingly enough, that estimated Thai price tag, if accurate, would see the Cyberster undercutting its closest market rival, the MX-5 RF 2.0 with a 6-speed manual, by around 14 percent due to lower import and excise duties levied by the government there in favour of electric vehicles.

With dimensions of 4,535 mm in length, 1,913 mm in width, and 1,329mm in height, along with a wheelbase of 2,690 mm, the MG is also decidedly larger than the Mazda.

While the Cyberster offers three variants and output options in China, Thailand is exclusively offering the top-tier version that features a dual-motor all-wheel-drive configuration with 544 PS and 725 Nm of torque, allowing acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.2 seconds and reaching a top speed of 200 km/h.

Powering the electric motors is a 77 kWh battery, delivering a NEDC-rated range of 503 km on a single charge. It’s quoted at 11 hours while on MG home charger for AC charging while DC fast charging achieves a 10 to 80% charge in about 26 minutes at a maximum rate of 140 kW.

Externally, the Cyberster is equipped with features such as a soft-top canvas roof, automatic LED headlights, LED DRLs and tail lights, and 20-inch alloys fitted with 245/40 front and 275/35 rear profile tyres.

Inside, it boasts a triple-screen digital display panel, comprised of a 10.25-inch screen flanked by two seven-inch screens, along with Y-shape sports seats upholstered in Nappa leather and Alcantara.

Other interior highlights include six-way powered driver/passenger seats, soft-touch elements, 64-color ambient lighting, a Bose sound system, dual-zone air-conditioning, a PM 2.5 air filter system, electronic parking brake, and connectivity options like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Regarding safety, the Cyberster is equipped with various electronic assistance features including traction, stability, and braking systems, along with a 3D around view camera system and a suite of driver assistance technologies.

These include lane keeping assist, lane departure warning, lane change assist, forward collision warning, AEB braking, adaptive cruise control with low-speed automatic cruise control, blind-spot detection, rear cross-traffic alert, and braking intervention.

Gen Z’s first electric sports car?

Young car enthusiasts (Gen Z?) might be more inclined to toward BEVs than those of us who grew up around combustion engines, but they haven’t had much to point to as an aspirational sports car that’s at least somewhat attainable.

Of course, there is also the second generation Tesla Roadster, but delay after delay has our excitement dampened since it was first announced all the way back in 2017.

There are outliers at the very high end such as the Rimac Nevera and a few cars coming down the pipe to fully explore the performance potential of EVs, but the majority of fast zero emissions cars are merely ‘performance’ variants of existing models of four-door sedans or SUVs.

The Cyberster bucks that trend and introduces us to a familiar two-seat roadster that’s designed from the ground up to be a sports car, impracticalities and all. We just have to get used its corny name.