SAIC Motor Malaysia has confirmed that it will be launching the fully electric MG Cyberster, as early as Q3 2024 if homologation work can be completed in time.

Speaking at the launch of the MG ZS EV and MG 4 earlier today, Steven Du, Managing Director of SAIC Motor Malaysia said the MG Cyberster is already launched in China, but that’s a left-hand drive model.

“The right-hand drive is supposed to be ready by Q3 this year. By then we will bring the Cyberster here,” said Du.

Du added that before SAIC can launch the Cyberster here, the local product management team would need to do the necessary homologation paperwork to ensure compliance with local regulations, as well as adapting the Cyberster to meet the requirements of Malaysian customers.

Days earlier, SAIC Motor Thailand had just confirmed the price for their MG Cyberster at the 2024 Bangkok International Motor Show. The scissor doors roadster will go on sale there by the end of this year, priced at THB 2,499,000 (~RM 324k).

This puts the soft-top MG Cyberster’s price 14 percent lower than the hard-top Mazda MX-5 2.0 with a 6-speed manual transmission – the MG Cyberster’s closest rival in the northern kingdom. Of course, as a battery EV (BEV) model, the MG benefits from lower import and excise duties, as well as purchase subsidies.

The MG Cyberster is powered by a 77 kWh ‘Rubik Cube’ high voltage battery developed by SAIC. The dual-motor all-wheel drive roadster makes 544 PS / 725 Nm, accelerating from 0-100 km/h in 3.2 seconds. Top speed is limited to 200 km/h.

Claimed driving range is 503 km (NEDC). The car’s 400V architecture accepts up to 140 kW of DC fast charging, while regular AC charging peaks at 11 kW.

The electric folding soft-top opens / closes in 10 seconds.

Being a BEV, the MG Cyberster is very heavy by sports car standards, weighing 1,920 kg. Chassis control however, has been tuned by ex-Ferrari vehicle dynamics engineer Marco Fainello.