MG Cyberster electric convertible makes Australian debut

This electrifying performance car represents the first of its kind, though Aussies have been slow to adopt a change of perspective.

MG’s fastest car is slowly gathering momentum.

There’s nothing quite like the MG Cyberster, a two-door, two-seat electric convertible that shapes up as Australia’s first battery-powered sports car.

The MG Cyberster has high-rising ‘scissor’ doors. Picture: Supplied.

Due to arrive locally in the fourth quarter of the year, the Cyberster will hit local roads ahead of rival convertibles from the likes of Porsche and Polestar.

Giles Belcher, chief commercial officer at MG Motor Australia, says there is “no natural competitor” to the Cyberster.

It’s an ambitious car for a brand built on cut-price commuter cars, combining proper sports car performance with a proper sports car price tag somewhere between $100,000 and $130,000 plus on-road costs.

MG does not know exactly who will buy the Cyberster. Picture: Supplied.

“It’ll bring a new customer base to MG,” Belcher says.

“We know MG is about value … We think there is incredible value in that car.

“There’s a convertible two seat electric sports car that does nought to 100 in 3.2 seconds. That’s incredible.

“One person’s value is difficult to judge, but we believe that represents great value.”

The MG Cyberster is not the first electric performance car – myriad models including the Porsche Taycan Turbo, Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, Audi e-tron GT and Ford Mustang Mach-E pack V8-humbling punch in a green package.

The Cyberster is the first car of its kind. Picture: Supplied.

But those cars are practical four-door machines, while the Cyberster is a two-seat soft-top indulgence.

It’s a brave car.

Which might be why Belcher says the Cyberster has attracted “tens”, rather than hundreds or thousands of deposits from ready customers.

MG’s convertible is loaded with tech. Picture: Supplied.

“We don’t have a volume expectation for it,” he says.

“It’s there to showcase the design, the performance, the technology of what the MG brand can do.”

In that way, the Cyberster is similar to halo models such as the Honda NSX and Mazda RX-7 that attempted to lift the overall appeal and credibility of much cheaper machines.

Classic sports cars such as the Nissan 240Z and Toyota 2000GT helped make Japanese cars desirable to a generation of drivers.

The NSX changed the way some people perceived Honda.

Could the Cyberster change the way people think about Chinese cars?

MG doesn’t see any stigma around Chinese machines as a barrier to success.

“We don’t see it as a big factor to be honest at all,” Belcher says.

“A car can be built in Europe with parts from anywhere in the world … cars are a global product, a global asset really.

“We don’t really see that as an issue.”

Originally published as MG Cyberster electric convertible makes Australian debut