The next-generation MINI Convertible has been revealed ahead of its worldwide debut in January at the 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Scheduled to hit dealerships worldwide in late March 2009, the new MINI Convertible follows in the footsteps of its hatchback sibling, meaning that you’ll find a hard time distinguishing it from its predecessor. Nevertheless, the Convertible’s exterior has been updated with new details like the headlamps, tail lamps and front/rear bumpers while the four-pivot hinges for the luggage compartment top are now mounted inside the car.

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These are the first official photos of the MINI E, an all-electric version of the MINI Cooper that will make its first public appearance at the Los Angeles Auto Show in mid-November. What’s so important about this MINI -aside from its technical specs- is that over the next year or so, BMW will produce around 500 units which will be leased to selected private and corporate customers in the U.S. states of California, New York and New Jersey, giving the Bavarian automaker the chance to evaluate the viability of a full-scale production EV. MINI said that it also considering the possibility of leasing the vehicle in Europe.

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Some concepts are purely design exercises, while others serve as previews of upcoming production models. It’s rare for one show car to serve as both, but then MINI is unique in the business. The Crossover concept that the BMW subsidiary unveiled here at the Paris Motor Show has a bit of a Dark Knight villain thing going for it. On one side it’s got an unusual door configuration, big show-car wheels and a decidedly conceptual turquoise-highlighted paint scheme. On the other it’s more staid, with conventional doors, a more conventional color palette and an altogether more production-feasible appearance. Up top and inside everything’s all fantasy, however, with the cloth roof and trick glass infotainment system we reported on earlier. Click the thumbnails below to see the MINI Crossover Concept live from the Paris show floor, and the gallery below that for the factory studio shots, and let us know what you think of the two-faced concept car in our comments section.

Already a Classic: The last MINI Convertible of The Current Generation Comes Off the Production Line.

Style icon, global player, “value master” and now already a classic. Now that around 164,000 units have been produced, the MINI Convertible of the current generation has reached the end of its production period. As planned, the MINI plant in Oxford ceased production of the open-top four-seater. The final specimen - a MINI Cooper S Convertible Sidewalk painted in metallic White Silver has been sold to a MINI fan in the USA. In the land of limousines, the nimble little automobile with the electrically folding soft top has won over a very loyal group of fans. Only on its domestic market of Great Britain and Ireland were more units of the MINI Convertible sold in the past four years than in the USA.

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We’ve had the opportunity to get behind the wheel of a few MINI variants, including a 2007 Cooper S and more recently a 2008 Cooper Clubman. Despite some quirky interior design cues and limited practicality, it’s hard not to love the MINI for its superb handling and slick-shifting transmission. Still on our to-do list, however, was to experience some of the John Cooper Works options that were absent on our previous test cars. Fortunately we were able to schedule a short drive with a 2008 MINI Cooper S with a few select JCW options. Are the upgrades worth the price of admission? Read on…
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