By WhichEV
While most of the fleet will be chosen to be comfortable, reliable and affordable – there will always be those who manage to get a larger allowance and who want something that stands out from the crowd. Last week, Silverstone based Lunaz Designs revealed a 1961 Bentley S2 Continental that has been completely refurbished and had its original 6.2 litre V8 replaced with a 400 bhp modern electric motor that can accelerate this huge car past 60mph in 6.9 seconds.
With that in mind, we decided to take a look at the high-performing, luxury EVs that will be hitting the UK market in 2023.
In May 2023, MG will harken back to its golden days of producing some of the most iconic sports cars of the 1960s, with the launch of the MG Cyberster – a play on the word roadster. While the early drawings were pure fantasy, the final release model will play significant homage to its ancestors. The original parameters were for a true sports car, with a 0-60 figure under 3 seconds. The production model is likely to be a little slower, but will still keep pace with most Teslas. MG has done a lot in terms of improving its battery power, so we should expect this new sports car to have a sizeable battery embedded low down for stability – and with the capability of taking the MG Cyberster way past the 300 mile mark on a single charge. With pricing expected in the sub-£60,000 zone and production models to start coming off the line at the end of 2023, we’re all looking forward to seeing the 21st century update of the classic MG sports car.
Moving up a class from the MG, will be the Tesla Roadster. Musk is claiming a 0-60 of 1.9 seconds with a top speed over 250mph and a range over 600 miles – while still keeping the price close to £150,000. That may sound expensive, but when you realise that the Tesla Roadster is likely to keep pace with (or even beat) products like the Lotus Evija, Pininfarina Battista and Maserati Folgore – it is a bargain. The Lotus and Pininfarina are expected to be close to £2m each, with the Maserati around £50,000 more expensive than the Tesla.
Overall, the market for luxury/performance electric vehicles in 2023 promises to be exciting – with Ferrari and the old guard arriving in 2025. You will probably need a monthly car allowance of several thousand pounds for most of these – but the MG Cyberster could be less than £900 a month. While not cheap, it will certainly be a head turner.
