2017 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Cabriolet Is the Little Red Riding Hood

These designer sketches, be they computerized or not, all look like they’re depicting concept cars, and not something that’s supposed to come out in a little over a month. But at least we do get to see the rear of the car and, surprise surprise, it’s virtually identical to the coupé. The designing team could probably spend hours talking about the differences between the two, but then again, that’s another trait of car designers, apart from making no-good sketches: they can go on and on about things only they can see.

But the good news is that the release date has been confirmed and that the car looks as sexy as expected. The four seats configuration is, of course, a sham, but it could work in some instances, and it’s definitely better to have two small seats in the rear than no seats at all. Or what we like to call “Porsche seats.”

The Convertible is making the most of its very little remaining time as a prototype and has been seen once again strolling around the streets of Stuttgart. Even though the car still wore plenty of camouflage, we at least got to see another color that’s going to be available for the canvas roof, and it’s a pretty bright red.

As high as our eyebrow jumped when seeing this combination, the fact that there are more colors available for the canvas roof is definitely welcome news, as it opens up personalization possibilities even before leaving the showroom. And since this is Mercedes-Benz we’re talking about, we’re also counting on the fact that a red car with a red roof and a red leather interior isn’t a viable combination. But we might be wrong.

Given the tumbling sales registered by convertibles, anyone who’s in the market for a premium mid-sized four-seater roofless vehicle is actually spoilt for choice, with all three German manufacturers offering a car that fits the description. But since Mercedes-Benz is the latest to launch one, it could get most of the attention in this very fragile market segment.