The Cyberster will arrive in the UK next summer with the electric Porsche 718 Boxster in its sights

We’ve been drip fed details of MG’s new electric roadster through leaks over the past year, but now the covers are off: this is the Cyberster. With a lineage that spans from the MG A, MG B and most recently the MG F, the Cyberster will catapult MG back into the convertible sports car market under Chinese owners SAIC.

These latest pictures provide our first official look at the new model, which emerges as a heavily toned down – but still rather striking – interpretation of the Cyberster Roadster concept that debuted at the 2021 Shanghai motor show. Key design themes, including the show car’s sloping nose, rear Kamm-tail and, indeed, scissor doors have been carried through to the production car, which will meet the forthcoming electric Porsche Boxster head on.

Patent files have confirmed that, at 4535mm long and 1913mm wide, the Cyberster has a bigger footprint than the current 718 Boxster, and that sinewy exterior hides serious performance potential beneath. The single-motor Cyberster will generate 309bhp, with the four-wheel drive dual-motor version offering 536bhp – a comparable figure with ICE roadsters from the class above.

Unfortunately, the MG will weigh about as much as bigger petrol-powered convertibles, with the dual-motor version expected to tip the scales at 1985kg – similar to a Mercedes-AMG SL55. Even the two-wheel drive Cyberster will come in at a hefty 1850kg. There’s no word on performance or range, but the Cyberster should dip below 4sec in the sprint to 62mph, and around 300 miles of range should be feasible for the single-motor car.

The doors swing upwards to provide access to the Cyberster’s cabin, which cocoons the driver with a high centre console and an angled dashboard. A free-standing digital instrument panel spans across the dash with a triple-screen layout, set behind a yoke-style steering wheel. The digitised theme continues with a portrait-orientated climate control touch panel, flanked by a grab handle that’s within easy reach of the passenger – useful given the Cyberster’s readily accessible 536bhp output.

Primed for release in summer 2024, the Cyberster will cost between £50,000 and £60,000 as one of the earliest electric roadsters to come to market, as manufacturers explore how to tackle the EV sports car enigma. Models like the Cyberster, Boxster EV and electric Alpine A110 replacement will rely heavily on more sophisticated chassis electronics and augmentation to provide a sense of engagement, and this initial period of experimentation will – we hope – produce some interesting results.