► Fabric roof for C-class Convertible
► Set for launch early in 2016
► Rival to BMW 4-series, Audi A5
If you were expecting a folding hardtop for the 2016 Mercedes C-class Convertible it’s time for a rethink. Previous prototypes have been fitted with hat-like shrouds over the roof section to hide its roots but these latest spyshots show the upcoming droptop C will feature a fabric roof when it arrives in time for the spring sunshine.
First time for everything: the 2016 Mercedes C-class Convertible
This is the first time Mercedes has flipped the lid on the C-class. The C’s previously been offered as a saloon, estate and, more recently, a coupe, but this is the first convertible variant, strictly speaking. (Ironically, the current Mercedes E-class Convertible is actually based on the previous-generation C-class, and there was a convertible CLK).
It’s built upon the same aluminium/steel modular rear-wheel-drive platform as the saloon, estate and coupe, developed from the outset with the capability to develop a convertible variant. These latest images give us a clear view of the tail-lights, shared with the C-class coupe and a Bangle-esque lip to the bootlid, although whether it still appears quite as prominent when the final pieces of camouflage cladding come off we’ll have to wait and see.
When the Mercedes C-class Convertible surfaces in the first quarter of 2016 it will form the most affordable rung on the Mercedes convertible ladder, and will seek to out-glam the likes of BMW’s 4-series Convertible and Audi’s A5 Cabriolet.
Read CAR’s review of the new Mercedes C-class AMG C63 Coupe here.