In the automotive world, there is a lot of forbidden fruit; the cars that the white collars in the boardrooms decide will fit nicely in Europe but not the US or much better in China than the Middle East. Thoughts of RS4 Avants and Suzuki Jimnys abound, but let's add another to the list with the upcoming BEV roadster from MG: The Cyberster.

MG isn't a name we're used to hearing anymore, but it's a company that's coming back in a big way thanks to Chinese company SAIC. The Cyberster has been teased for quite a while now as a Mazda MX-5 Miata fighter, and we were expecting to hear some more news by now.

Unfortunately, it's looking like we'll have to wait a little longer as the official reveal at the Guangzhou Motor Show has been pushed to April 2023 due to concerns of a Covid disruption. Deliveries are still on track for 2024.

For those who don't know, the Cyberster will be a small roadster that will help put MG back on the map. The British marque became internationally known back in the day for light, nimble sports cars like the MGB and MGF, and the Cyberster is supposedly going to bring back the brand's golden years. It will also present a viable electric alternative to the Miata, or so MG would have us believe.

Autocar spoke to the MG UK Commercial Director Guy Pigounakis at a recent event where he said the production car "will be a game-changer in terms of perception of the brand." It's meant to be a halo model for the resurrected company, and when we recently saw teaser images of it, it seems to look the part.

The electric vehicle is going to be a convertible with a canvas retractable top and scissor doors. It'll come with two drivetrains, a single-motor, RWD one, and a dual-motor high-performance model with AWD. Finally, It's taking a page from the Tesla Model S Plaid with a yoke steering wheel.

MG always had plans to change the name (much to our relief,) and it seems it had already picked one until execs saw the full-scale prototype. "Right up to when the model was arriving we were looking at it as a natural successor to the MGF," said Pigounakis, "It's completely not. It's in a completely different sector of the market."

To put this in perspective, the MGF was a two-seater 90's convertible that made about 120 hp; it was known more for its nimble stature and cheap price tag than anything else. Now there hasn't been any mention yet of how much the new car will cost, but since it's supposedly coming with a 500-mile range, a 0-60 time under three seconds, and an AWD option, we have a feeling a different nameplate is a good choice.

Autocar did note that the brand trademarked the MG C EV name earlier this year. The MGC was a very short-lived variant of the MGB in the late 60s that utilized an inline-six instead of a four-cylinder. It seems like a better choice for a modern-day successor, but we won't know for sure until we see it in person.

The brand has debuted a few vehicles recently, most notably the gorgeous MG7 sedan and the MG4 electric hatchback. Both of these will not be sold in the US, which is a shame, because if MG can do stuff like this with its cars, we're definitely missing out.

Now, if only the foreplay could come to an end - this teaser campaign is taking longer than the second-gen Acura NSX did to arrive.