| Nearly
three years since its launch the MINI adventure shows no sign of
slowing down. The summer of 2004 sees the introduction of two new
models - the MINI One Convertible and MINI Cooper Convertible. Both
models will be built at Plant Oxford in the UK alongside the four
models already in production; MINI One, MINI One D, MINI Cooper and
MINI Cooper S. The MINI One Convertible and MINI Cooper Convertible
will make their world debuts at the Geneva Motor Show on March 2,
2004. Pricing will be confirmed closer to launch.
The MINI Convertible family will be
completed later in the year with the introduction of the MINI Cooper
S Convertible. Again, pricing and full details will be confirmed
closer to launch.
Just like the rest of the MINI
family, the MINI Convertible has four seats and is blessed with
striking good looks, gutsy personality and go-kart style handling.
With an optional equipment list longer than any other car in its
class, four airbags and parking distance control fitted as standard,
the MINI Convertible may appear small but it thinks big.
No fiddling on this roof
Both the MINI One Convertible and
MINI Cooper Convertible have fully automatic roofs as standard. The
roof operates in two stages. Press the button once and the roof
slides back 40cm creating an 'open sunroof'. Press the button again
and the roof retracts fully, neatly folding down into a compact
arrangement behind the rear seats. No messy catches or tricky
tonneau covers are involved - only 15 seconds and the press of a
button stand between the driver and the joys of open-air motoring.
Spaced out
Reminiscent of the classic Mini,
the MINI Convertible has a new drop down boot which doubles as a
handy loading platform. Two steel cables on a spring mounted
retractor system act as boot hinges holding a weight of up to 80kg.
The boot capacity with the roof up is a 165 litres - with the roof
down it is 120 litres.
However, MINI Convertible owners
with bulky items to carry need not despair. By turning two levers in
the boot, the rear fastening of the roof can be released allowing
the rear section to be raised. This creates a wide aperture through
which larger items can be loaded. In fact, by using this 'easy load'
facility and putting the rear seats down, the MINI Convertible
instantly offers 605 litres of storage space.
Look at my MINI!
Two new paint colours have been
reserved exclusively for the MINI One Convertible and MINI Cooper
Convertible - Hot Orange and Cool Blue. There is a choice of three
roof colours for the MINI Cooper Convertible, black, blue and green,
whilst the MINI One Convertible roof is only offered in black. The
finishing exterior touch on the MINI Cooper Convertible is body
coloured wing mirrors which come as standard.
The interior has also been given a
splash of colour. Body coloured dashboards will be an option from
launch in addition to the existing choice of silver, anthracite,
aluminium and wood.
In addition to the existing wide
range of upholstery choices, a new dark blue 'Gravity' leather will
be offered on both the MINI One Convertible and MINI Cooper
Convertible. The wheel selection also increases with the
introduction of a new 17-inch five star bullet alloy wheel that will
be reserved exclusively for MINI Convertible models.
Under the bonnet
The MINI One Convertible and MINI
Cooper Convertible are powered by the same flexible engine as their
hatchback counterparts. In MINI One Convertible guise, the 1.6 litre
engine produces 90 bhp and a top speed of 109 mph. 0 - 62mph is
reached in 11.8 seconds. The MINI Cooper Convertible has an output
of 115bhp and a top speed of 120mph. 0 - 62mph is reached in 9.8
seconds.
The MINI story
The MINI One and MINI Cooper were
launched in the UK on 7 July, 2001. Eleven months later, on 7 June,
2002, the MINI Cooper S was launched followed by the MINI One D in
June 2003. Since its launch in 2001 over 90,000 MINIs have been sold
in the UK making the home market the biggest MINI market in the
world. 2003 was a record sales year for MINI - 40,510 MINIs were
sold giving MINI a UK market share of 1.57 per cent.
Plant Oxford has built over 350,000
MINIs since production started. Last year alone, 176,000 MINIs were
delivered to customers in 72 different countries worldwide.
source: BMW UK
|
