MINI Roadster to Shake Frankfurt's Ground

MINI is quite busy these days, with numerous products on the table or already undergoing heavy testing. At least, this is what the so-many media reports out there are claiming, with a new story by Autocar now hinting that the MINI Roadster is going to make its official public display in September at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

Details are obviously fairly limited at this point but previous coverage on the subject point to a two-seat car, somehow inspired by the MINI Cabriolet and featuring a retractable soft top.

Although we're not sure a Roadster would be appropriate for recession times, the MINI engineers will equip the Roadster with small-displacement engines that would better address the current ailing markets. Basically, the Roadster will rely on almost the same engine line as the stock model. Additionally, a 1.6-liter twin tuborcharged unit, similar with the one seen on the John Cooper Works, might also join the range. The powerplant develops some 211 horsepower and 280 Nm of torque, but its still unclear whether the company will change its output or leave it as is.

Still not confirmed, but the aforementioned source notes that MINI Roadster could enter production somewhere in late 2009, with the very first models likely to hit the streets in the first months of 2010. Another unclear detail is also the production facility that will host the MINI Roadster production as the Oxford plant is already working at full capacity.

However, more information is expected to be released in the next few months as we get closer to the official debut. The Frankfurt Motor Show runs from September 17 to 27.