Mini ragtop
In an effort to keep the momentum of its Mini franchise going, BMW will bring a ragtop version of the sub-compact car to Canada in the next year or so.
The Mini One Convertible and Mini Cooper Convertible will debut at the Geneva Motor Show in early March, but it's expected that only the latter model will make it to Canada from the plant in England.
Except for the fact that it will have a softtop roof and different weight distribution as a result, there probably won't be much to separate the ragtop model from its hardtop siblings.
The big news is undoubtedly the fully automatic roof, which operates in two stages. Press the button once and the roof slides back 40 cm, creating what BMW calls an ''open sunroof''. Press the button again and the roof retracts fully, folding into a compact arrangement behind the rear seats.
There are no catches or covers and little effort involved, BMW boosts, and the whole operation takes 15 seconds.
In a design reminiscent of the original Mini ragtop from the 1960s, the new Convertible has a new drop down trunk which doubles as a handy loading platform. Two steel cables on a spring-mounted retractor system act as trunk lid hinges holding a weight of up to 80 kg. The trunk (or boot, as the Brits say) capacity with the roof up is 165 litres, and with the roof down 120 litres.
If the owner has a bulkier item, she or he can turn two levers in the trunk and the rear fastening of the roof will be released, allowing the rear section to be raised. This creates a wide opening through which larger items can be loaded, BMW says. In fact, by using this ''easy load'' facility and putting the rear seats down, the MINI Convertible instantly offers 605 litres of storage space.
BMW is also promising a pair of new body colours for the Mini Convertible (Hot Orange and Cool Blue) and three roof hues (black, blue and green), though it's not known yet what colours BMW Canada will offer.
The interior of the ragtop has also been given a splash of colour, BMW says. Body-coloured dashboards will be an option from launch, along with the existing choices of silver, anthracite, aluminium and wood.
In addition to the existing range of upholstery choices, a new dark blue ''Gravity'' leather will be offered on the 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.
Again, Canadian choices may vary, but that's not known at this time.
''Under the bonnet'' or the Mini Cooper Convertible, the 1.6-litre inline-four will produce 115 hp and go from 0 to 100 km/h in 9.8 seconds.
