SPY PICS: Mercedes C-Class Cabrio

It might look kinda weird from some angles – with its drop-away bootline, almost like a vastly overgrown Daihatsu Copen from the early naughties, in fact – but these are the latest photographs of the new drop-top Mercedes-Benz C-Class, seen here in full camouflage on public roads near the company’s headquarters in Stuttgart.

The new open-air Benz, as yet another iteration of the C-Class sedan launched here early in 2014, is expected to appear at this year’s Frankfurt motor show alongside its two-door stablemate – the new C-Class Coupe.

First seen in spy shots a year ago, the new C-Class Cabriolet will compete with mid-size German convertibles like the Audi A5 Cabriolet and (folding hard-top) BMW 4 Series Convertible.

Although it’s been suggested the first C-Class cabrio will feature a folding metal hard-top roof, these photos, with clear visual evidence of a ribbed roof structure, show that it will come – like the E-Class Cabriolet – with a soft fabric roof.

The latest photos show a bit more detail than previous pics, including the basic grille shape and finer points such as headlights and the door-mounted side mirrors.

The convertible, which is expected to become the cheapest convertible Benz convertible, will slot into the model range below the current SLK roadster.

Naturally, the cabrio is expected to feature pretty much the same engine line-up available in the current sedan C-Class, including four-cylinder diesels and turbo-petrols and, maybe, the blustering 375kW 4.0-litre biturbo V8 used in the C 63 AMG.