MINI Roadster at the Detroit Motor Show

The MINI Roadster will have its world premiere at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) 14-22 January 2012 in Detroit.

The MINI Roadster is the first open-top two-seater in the MINI range. When opened, the soft-top folds down flat behind the seats. There’s still a 240-litre boot with a wide through-loading system behind the seats.

Together with the reinforced windscreen frame, two stainless steel roll-over bars provide occupant protection in the event of the car turning over.

The safety equipment on board the new MINI Roadster also includes front airbags and head-thorax airbags integrated into the outer sides of the seat backrests, three-point inertia-reel seatbelts including belt force limiters and belt tensioners, and a Tyre Defect Indicator.

The MINI Roadster will be available with a choice of three petrol engines when it is launched in the US market. The model line-up will range from the MINI Cooper Roadster (121 hp) via the MINI Cooper S Roadster (181 hp) to the 208 hp MINI John Cooper Works Roadster.

The Roadster channels the engine's power through to the front wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox. Alternatively, the MINI Cooper Roadster and MINI Cooper S Roadster can also be specified with a six-speed automatic as an option.

The body has special strengthening elements and a lower centre of gravity, together with chassis technology including Electric Power Steering and Dynamic Stability Control (DSC). The MINI Roadster also has an active rear spoiler, which extends automatically when the car reaches 50 mph.

The US has been the most important single market worldwide for MINI cars for several years now, even though the MINI was only introduced to the US ten years ago.