Currently reading: MG Cyberster to be 'affordable' 309bhp electric roadster
Open-top EV, shown at Goodwood, to also receive dual-motor variant with 536bhp

The MG Cyberster has made its official debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, following its launch as a near-production concept at April's Shanghai motor show.

The Cyberster is the first all-new sports roadster to carry the iconic octagonal MG badge since the MG F in 1995. MG claims it will be the world’s first “affordable” EV roadster, dramatically undercutting existing electric performance cars with a two-model structure likely to begin around £55,000 for a rear-wheel-drive 309bhp version and stretching to around £65,000 for a four-wheel-drive, twin-motor version with 536bhp.

Although the car was originally planned as a replacement for the MG TF (a developed version of the MG F), the need to carry a large traction battery and the consequent requirement for a long wheelbase has made the Cyberster closer in its major dimensions to the 4.4m-long BMW Z4 than its 3.96m mid-engined predecessor.

Little has been confirmed about the Cyberster’s mechanical layout ahead of its official Goodwood Festival of Speed launch, but the lighter single-motor model is understood to tip the scales at around 1850kg – 750kg more than the MG TF. The twin-motor model is expected to add 135kg.

MG Cyberster at Goodwood Festival of Speed 2023 front

The new EV roadster, which for the time being will be built only as an open-two-seater with an electric-powered folding roof, has a wide and spacious cabin, helped by the lack of engine in the nose. The batteries are located in the chassis on a 'skateboard' principle.

Like the Cyberster’s exterior, the interior designs have their roots in MG’s London-based advanced studio. The plush fascia and instrumentation take influence from contemporary gaming trends and scissor doors provide what designers call “a sense of theatre”.

MG design director Carl Gotham, leader of the brand’s 20-strong advanced design group based in London’s Marylebone, acknowledges the size growth but believes the car wears it well, “creating a completely new kind of roadster ready for a new generation of sports car drivers”.

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He cites the Cyberster’s main aim as being to lead the design style of future MG models. MG will continue its concentration on SUV and estates, but this will not be its only sports car.

MG Cyberster at Goodwood Festival of Speed 2023 interior

MG UK commercial director Guy Pigounakis says the company has already been “inundated” with requests from potential buyers and says MG’s British dealers (soon to number around 150) are equally enthusiastic.

Chasing volume is not the Cyberster’s main function, he insists. It will primarily be an image-builder though he “could imagine” UK volumes around 2000 units a year when demand settles.

Pigounakis cites great value for money and excellent new car distribution as important elements in MG’s success but reckons brand recognition is a “critical” part. And response to the cars from older buyers is “absolutely phenomenal”. He said: “It’s clear there’s a large and active group of buyers who remember the excitement and the promise of the MG name and have a huge amount of affection for it.”

MG’s UK sales have been booming for years, and in 2022 it exceeded 51,000 units, more than five times their level five years ago. Recent growth for MG across Europe has been even more spectacular: sales were below 1000 units in 2019, yet they are expected to hit 120,000 by the end of 2023.

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MG Cyberster at Goodwood Festival of Speed 2023 seats

Q&A with Carl Gotham, MG's head of design

Carl Gotham trained in design at Coventry University in 1999, joined MG a decade later and worked in both interior and exterior design before being appointed to his present position in 2017, and setting up the Marylebone advanced studio in 2018. Its work, he says, has “all been building up to this.”

How did the Cyberster project start?

"The idea of a new sports car always existed at MG, and when I joined, I did my best to push it. At first, it was a kind of skunk-works project. Then when I took over in 2017, it became one of my first jobs. There were lots of different ideas, but the plan for an EV roaster felt very relevant. When we moved to Marylebone, the project acquired a specific brief – to have a future-oriented roadster concept ready for Shanghai, which is what we delivered."

What was the detail of the brief? And was the work done in the UK?

"The car had to be a statement of intent about the company’s future. It had to be curvaceous, warm and approachable but it had to fit the brand, too. We knew it had a lot of great cars to live up to. The exterior was designed 100% in the UK, but more of the interior and fascia was done in Shanghai."

How free were you and your team to design the car you visualised?

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"We were pretty free. Part of our job is to study and try to predict trends, and we’ve been reasonably successful at it. The MG 4 was done in the UK in concept, then finalised in the Shanghai studio and that has been successful. Our brief is to work on models three to four years ahead."

MG Cyberster at Goodwood Festival of Speed 2023 rear light

As an EV, the Cyberster clearly has to be bigger than past roadsters. What were the positives and negatives?

"The positives were things like cockpit space, pedal space and the excellent weight distribution of a car with its battery weight so low in the chassis. The negatives were things like the seat height (the battery effect). Also the long wheelbase and the sheer size. But we believe that when you look at Cyberster, or drive it, you don’t see compromises. It’s a holistic design."

Tell us about your experiences as a design director in the EV era, coping with so many changes.

"As things advance, you keep seeing unanswered questions, because the challenges are very disparate. You’ve got to respect a great brand heritage, even though so many transitions are affecting basic vehicle design. You’re also designing for very different customers, too, those here and those in China. Trying to do all this really helps you stay ambitious."

Steve Cropley

Steve Cropley Autocar
Title: Editor-in-chief

Steve Cropley is the oldest of Autocar’s editorial team, or the most experienced if you want to be polite about it. He joined over 30 years ago, and has driven many cars and interviewed many people in half a century in the business. 

Cropley, who regards himself as the magazine’s “long stop”, has seen many changes since Autocar was a print-only affair, but claims that in such a fast moving environment he has little appetite for looking back. 

He has been surprised and delighted by the generous reception afforded the My Week In Cars podcast he makes with long suffering colleague Matt Prior, and calls it the most enjoyable part of his working week.

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Dave Ol. 13 July 2023

MG sales have been booming in Europe, and the brand is selling pretty well in the Old Continent, especially when you consider that MG has not yet been introduced to all European countries, most notably, Switzerland, Poland, Romania, Greece, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. MG was launched to Finland a few weeks ago.

gavsmit 23 June 2023

The Chinese owners of MG need to consult a dictionary for the definition of the word "affordable". 

If they have aspirations of granduer with their future models then so be it, but don't describe £55k as "affordable" when most people were looking forward to an attractively priced EV roadster from a budget manufacturer to rival the MX-5.

I'd rather take a gamble on the new EV Lotus when it comes out rather than a top spec one of these.

 

lee44 12 May 2023

Some ridiculous comments on here; stop taking the western mainstream government puppet media as gospel. Look at America today; opioid crisis has ravaged communities and contributed to significant increases in overdose-related deaths due to pharmaceutical and political greed. Woman’s right to bodily function and choice is constantly under attack, and gun laws have failed to prevent senseless shootings. Furthermore, in the recent Ohio train wreck, people were being infected by leftover toxic fumes, and the government took no responsibility for their negligence.

Taiwan is part of China and has been recognized by the international community since 1948. The West took advantage of China in the past, as seen in the Opium Wars.

America has a long history of invading and colonising other countries, frequently creating enemies to sell arms and increase profits for the military industry complex. This behaviour makes America a bully in international affairs, and their actions have caused widespread destruction and loss of life. The Iraq war was built on lies, and the architects of the war have not been held accountable for their actions.

In contrast, China is for the betterment of people and is a meritocracy, unlike so called “democratic” countries that have become plutocracy and only prioritize lobbyists/voters that support them. China has not invaded other countries and has lifted more than 800 million people out of poverty in 40 years, whereas in the west, the poor are getting poorer and the rich richer. All this rhetoric by mainstream media who regurgitate the government stance is caused by jealousy.

Surely if the West was so liberal and believes in freedom, why would they feel the need to silence Julian Assange.

 

Marc 13 May 2023
Excellent, straight from the CCP doctrine. Next you will be telling us North Korea is a great place to raise your children.
lee44 21 June 2023

Marc read some books on history and look at the facts. That way maybe you will stop acting like a racist bigot who believes in the military industrial complex war mongering machine. I, like many others believe in peace and not being drawn into proxy wars to enrich the elite.

America: $858 billion military budget, over 750 bases in 80 countries encircling China. Spends tax payers money on war PR.

China: $224.79 billion military budget, one foreign base in Djibouti.

US Nato media ‘China is the biggest threat to world peace!’

Over its entire 242-year history the United States has only enjoyed 16 years of peace, all while innocent lives are taken across the world.  

$500 million spend on anti-china rhetoric, for example suppression of Uyghur's yet the  population and life expectancy has gone up. 

Do some of your own research; Oliver Stone documentaries would be a good starting point.  Goodbye. 

Marc 21 June 2023
Mmmnn, strong with this one the nutter is.
Peter Cavellini 21 June 2023
lee44 wrote:

Some ridiculous comments on here; stop taking the western mainstream government puppet media as gospel. Look at America today; opioid crisis has ravaged communities and contributed to significant increases in overdose-related deaths due to pharmaceutical and political greed. Woman’s right to bodily function and choice is constantly under attack, and gun laws have failed to prevent senseless shootings. Furthermore, in the recent Ohio train wreck, people were being infected by leftover toxic fumes, and the government took no responsibility for their negligence.

Taiwan is part of China and has been recognized by the international community since 1948. The West took advantage of China in the past, as seen in the Opium Wars.

America has a long history of invading and colonising other countries, frequently creating enemies to sell arms and increase profits for the military industry complex. This behaviour makes America a bully in international affairs, and their actions have caused widespread destruction and loss of life. The Iraq war was built on lies, and the architects of the war have not been held accountable for their actions.

In contrast, China is for the betterment of people and is a meritocracy, unlike so called “democratic” countries that have become plutocracy and only prioritize lobbyists/voters that support them. China has not invaded other countries and has lifted more than 800 million people out of poverty in 40 years, whereas in the west, the poor are getting poorer and the rich richer. All this rhetoric by mainstream media who regurgitate the government stance is caused by jealousy.

Surely if the West was so liberal and believes in freedom, why would they feel the need to silence Julian Assange.

 

Some posters can't help themselves, they latch unto the racial,political stereotypes, not the subject we're supposed to comment on in the article, the car, where on the Planet £55K an affordable sports car?, this like most is limited to the six figure earner, like someone commented, I'll have a second hand MX5 please!