MG will debut the new Cyberster EV sportscar globally in April next year, and customer deliveries are set to commence in 2024 in markets like Europe.

• MG Cyberster will be a two seat sportscar
• Final design will be toned down from the concept.

The MG sportscar, first previewed by the 2021 Cyberster concept and known internally as ‘Project E’, was due to be unveiled this month at the Guangzhou motor show. However, its unveiling has been pushed to next year after concerns that the November show could be postponed or cancelled due to COVID-19 fears.

MG Cyberster EV: design

The MG Cyberster teaser in August showed off the roadster's sleek, long-nosed silhouette, electric folding canvas roof, yoke steering wheel, two-tone sports seats and distinctive LED headlights. Other definitive design cues visible at this early stage include a subtle 'ducktail' rear spoiler and a rear lighting design modelled on the Union Jack – a nod to MG's British roots.

The final production car will resurrect a sporting nameplate from the brand's illustrious past; earlier this year, the brand trademarked the name MG C EV – a name that references a lesser-known, straight-six-powered version of the brand-defining MG B from the late 1960s.

The car, which was recently seen on tests in China, will be available either as a two-wheel-drive – likely to the rear wheels – or as a “very high performance” all-wheel-drive dual-motor version. It will become a halo model, sitting above the rest of MG's international line-up. The spy pictures confirm that it will be a two-seater, though it features a folding roof rather than sticking with the concept's open-cockpit arrangement, and the prominent streamliners running from the headrests to the trailing edge of the boot lid are gone.

While the production car's silhouette bears a visual relation to the concept, it has been redesigned to bring the car in line with MG's production models and make it compliant with global homologation rules. For example, it sits higher than before, the wheels are smaller and wrapped in chunkier tyres, the headlights are now uncovered and the gaping front grille panel has been swapped for what looks to be a subtler, decorative item, perhaps housing an array of sensors.

The concept was said to be based on a bespoke EV architecture, offering a range of 800 miles and a 0-100kph time of less than 3.0sec, and as a spearhead for MG's new youth-focused Cyber brand, the convertible is expected to be priced affordably – potentially even competing with today's entry-level combustion-powered sportscars.

MG Cyberster EV: rivals

The official preview and recently filed design patents show just how far the design has come since that concept and indicate that the Cyberster – which will essentially serve as an electric rival to the likes of the Mazda MX-5 – is nearly ready for an official unveiling.

As far as India goes, MG will introduce its Air EV city car in India next year and will showcase it to the general public for the first time at the upcoming Auto Expo 2023.

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