MINI is fold winner in sales

The nights are drawing in, autumn is nearly upon us - and that means the end of the convertible season. But what were 2005's summer stunners?

Auto Express Car Reviews

28th September 2005

Year-to-date drop-top sales reveal the MINI Convertible sits at the top of the pile - it sold 7,396 units between January and August. A spokeswoman for the company said: "The cabrio is popular because it's got all the good aspects of the standard MINI, and you can take the roof off. It has a very quick and easy-to-use mechanism."

British buyers also took a shine to Renault's M΃©gane C-C with its folding metal roof. It clocked up 5,307 sales. German firm Audi clinched the bronze, with 4,529 A4 Cabrios finding homes.

The CC versions of the Peugeot 307 and 206 came in fourth and fifth, selling 4,433 and 4,406 respectively. The combined total makes the French giant the biggest player in Britain in terms of market share. A spokesman put the success down to the manufacturer's roof technology. "After the launch of the 206 CC, our convertible sales have gone from strength to strength," he said. Mercedes' SLK is the nation's sixth most popular drop-top, with 4,290 sales, but only just - it outsold BMW's 3-Series by two units! The final top 10 places were taken by the Saab 9-3 (3,963), Vauxhall's Tigra (3,928) and Mazda's MX-5 (3,890).