Confirmed: British-built MINI Cooper Convertible set for summer launch

MINI’s new product onslaught is set to continue with an all-new Convertible version of the new MINI Cooper hatchback that will arrive this summer. This follows the launch of all-new petrol and electric Countryman SUV and Cooper hatch models, with the five-door all-electric Aceman due to be unveiled at the Beijing Motor Show in April.

Auto Express had already revealed in 2022 that a new Cooper Convertible would be built in Oxford, but speaking to Auto Express following the first of the new generation MINI Cooper hatchbacks rolling off the production line in Oxford, MINI boss Stefanie Wurst said, “We’ll unveil the new Convertible in the summer and a JCW will follow around the time of the Paris Motor Show.” 

Wurst wouldn't, however, confirm whether BMW Group, including MINI, planned to be at October’s Paris show or whether the Convertible JCW would be launched at a separate event.

Dr. Markus Grüneisl, Head of Plants Oxford and Swindon, admitted that there is already a new Cooper Convertible at the Oxford factory, where he and his team are preparing for production of the new car. Grüneisl told Auto Express, “We have a new Convertible up at Oxford and it looks fantastic”.

Oxford-built petrol-powered MINIs should reach customers in May, with the Cooper Convertible likely to share the hatch’s 1.5-litre and 2.0-litre engines, the former producing 154bhp and the latter 201bhp. The JCW Cooper is likely to get a 296bhp version of the 2.0-litre engine, while all MINI Coopers will now come with seven-speed automatic gearboxes with manual not even an option. 

Auto Express understands that electric Cooper Cabriolets could also follow when production of all-electric MINI Coopers starts at the Oxford factory in 2026, until then electric versions of the Cooper hatch will be built in China.

The current MINI Convertible is made in the Netherlands, but production there will cease with the introduction of the new model. MINI Oxford will then focus on internal combustion-engined MINI Coopers until 2026, when it will be joined by the all-electric MINI Cooper. 

Since BMW Group launched its first MINI in 2021, over 4.4 million MINIs have been built in the UK, including 150,000 all-electric models.

Now read our review of the new MINI Countryman...