In a follow-up to yesterday’s story about today’s Malaysian launch of the MG4 and ZS fully electric vehicles comes news that the topless MG Cyberster will also arrive in our showrooms by Q3 this year.
SAIC Motor Malaysia verified this news at a press conference that followed the introduction of the company’s MG4 EV and ZS EV today.
Since February of this year, SAIC Motor Malaysia has been hinting at the upcoming market debut of the Cyberster on its website. The coupe will not only be the third model by MG Malaysia, but it will also be the country’s first electric roadster to go on sale.
With its distinctive scissor doors and intriguingly styled arrow-shaped taillights, the Cyberster is arguably the most anticipated MG model in the country. Having made its debut in countries like China and Thailand, it appears that we won’t have to wait too long to get our hands on one of these EV roadsters.
The MG coupe is available with three different powertrain options in China including a single-motor rear-wheel drive (RWD) and dual-motor all-wheel drive (AWD). The entry-level Glamour Edition for the Chinese market has a single motor setup at the back that produces 314 hp and 475 Nm. With a 64 kWh battery, it can travel 501 kms according to China’s CLTC rating (which equates to around 400km in the real world).
However, while having a single motor rear-wheel drive system as well, the mid-spec Style Edition has a marginally higher horsepower of 340 hp. It is also possible to drive it farther at 580 km (CLTC) — let’s say around 470km in the real world—on a single charge with a larger 77 kWh battery pack.
The all-wheel drive EV roadster that was just introduced in Thailand has a single dual-motor option for its powertrain, which has performance numbers that are comparable to those of the top-tier Pioneer Edition sold in China. With 544 hp and 725 Nm of torque, this powertrain allows the car to reach a top speed of 200 km/h and sprint from 0-100 km/h in 3.2 seconds.
Supplying power to the Thai-spec MG Cyberster is a 77 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which allows the roadster to travel up to 503 km (NEDC) on a single charge. When the battery runs out of juice, it can be charged via DC charging at a maximum rate of 140 kW, which can juice it up from 10 to 80% in approximately 26 minutes. This is one spec we can expect in Malaysia.
CARLIST THOUGHTS
With no less than three major EV launches this year, including the sexy Cyberster, MG will land in the market sprinting and able to draw a significant number of potential buyers into showrooms thanks to the 3 model’s good looks, competitive range and strong product differentiation.