Auto News 5

Klagenfurt, Austria
The principal appeal of convertibles has always been the prospect of swanning along the seaside with the top down to catch the sun - and the eye of bystanders. No vehicle available today performs that function as well as the new Mini Cooper convertible, but to demonstrate the polyvalence of the car, the world press launch was organized in the dead of winter in the snowbound Austrian Alps. True to the brand's contrarian, fun-and-funky marketing spirit, the motto for the car and the launch was "Always Open." Journalists were exhorted to drive with the top down, and all of the test cars were fitted with a new standard feature, the Openmeter, which serves as a life-of-the-car recorder of hours spent driving with the top fully retracted.