MG Cyberster up to $20K cheaper than first thought

MG’s new electric sports car – which promises acceleration in the same league as Porsche and Ferrari – could cost up to $20,000 less than first thought.

MG initially provided a range of “$100,000 to $150,000” for its Cyberster electric convertible, which can accelerate from zero to 100km/h in just 3.2 seconds, but has now declared pricing between “$100,000 and $130,000”.

While official pricing is expected to be confirmed before the car’s launch in the fourth quarter this year, that would make the Cyberster one of the quickest accelerating cars for the least amount of money available.

Other electric vehicles such as Kia’s EV6 GT, Volvo’s EX30 Performance Ultra and Tesla’s Model Y Performance are capable of sub-four-second 0-100km/h acceleration for less money, however the next fastest car matching the Cyberster’s 3.2-second 0-100km/h claim is the $292,600 Porsche Taycan Turbo.

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“We’ve narrowed the [pricing] band a little bit, but we’re still negotiating,” Giles Belcher, Chief Commercial Officer, MG Motor Australia, told Wheels.

“You can put a deposit down on one now and we’re expecting first deliveries in Q3,” he added.

Belcher said MG would sell just one model from launch. “There’s a choice of colours and interiors, and roof colours,” he said. “We’re trying to keep it simple.”

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That model is the dual-motor, all-wheel-drive with 400kW and 725Nm, and a 77kWh (74kWh useable) battery pack claiming 444km of WLTP range.

The Cyberster comes with electrically-opening scissor doors, a cloth roof that can open in just 15 seconds at speeds up to 50km/h and triple screens for its digital instrument display.

Five exterior colours will be offered – beige, grey, silver, red or yellow. A black roof is available on all colours, but some can be had with a red roof. Two interior colour schemes will be offered in Australia – black and red, and white and grey.

A single-motor, 250kW rear-drive model is available overseas, but Belcher told Wheels there are no plans to sell it in Australia.

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Belcher said MG didn’t expect the Cyberster to be a volume-selling model, but instead to bring value to the brand in other ways.

“There’s certainly still a love and a want and a desire for sports cars in the market,” he said. “Not in the same volume as the SUVs obviously, but there’s certainly a place for this. It’s a halo car, we haven’t put any volume targets on it or anything like that, it’s a showcase for design, technology and performance as much as anything. It will bring some halo effect to the rest of the brand.”

The Cyberster will tour MG dealers around Australia over the coming months as the brand gears up for the vehicle’s local arrival.