MG unveils lower than expected price for its first electric roadster

The Chinese owned MG has settled on a price for its new Cyberster electric convertible, with the final sum falling well south of the $150,000 upper range the company thought in June it might sell for. 

The electric Cyberster will be priced at $115,000, plus on road costs, in Australia, and at $NZ129,000 in New Zealand. 

Until now, the electric cars MG delivers to Australia have been more notable for their modest price point, with customers able to drive away the MG4 and MG ZS EV for less than $40,000.

In September, the car company slashed the price of its popular MG4 with a 51kWh battery even further, down to $30,990. 

Electric vehicles have been going through the car equivalent of a fire sale in recent months as sales growth slumps, largely as a result of misinformation especially around fires, a drastic pull back in government incentives for EVs, and fears about resale options. 

MG’s new luxury roadster is a departure from the pessimistic market and cost-of-living focus for most Australians, and a bet on the budget flexibility of car aficionados and EV lovers. 

The “incredible value” will “amaze car lovers”, said MG Motor Australia and New Zealand CEO Peter Ciao in a statement.

“The all-new MG Cyberster presents uncompromising levels of power and performance, while also continuing our development as a leader in the electric vehicle space here in Australia,” he said.

A third of the first shipment to Australia has already been sold under customer per-orders.  

The car itself is quick, thanks to a 77 kWh battery that can propel the light, two tonne vehicle from 0 to 100km/hour in just 3.2 seconds.  

That big battery does take a while to charge though, with drivers needing to fill a 40 minute driving break to get from 10 per cent to 80 per cent at a 150kW CCS public charger.

It has scissor-opening doors and a range of 443 km of WLTP (Worldwide Harmonised Light vehicles Test Procedure) range. 

According to a preview attended by The Driven in July, the car mimics a “high end racing simulator” thanks to three screens wrapped around the steering wheel and a supersport mode.