Fiat's Laura Soave with the new 500C.
“Just in time for spring,” the Fiat 500C convertible rolled into New York, giving auto showgoers a chance to look at the new, Italian cabriolet.
The ragtop version of the Fiat 500 minicar will carry a $4,000 premium over the base Cinquecento coupe, announced Fiat’s U.S. chief executive, Laura Soave.
Declaring the convertible’s arrival “perfectly timed” for the annual surge of ragtop sales, Soave gave a New York Auto Show crowd a first look at the unusual design’s distinctive features.
Unlike a more traditional convertible, the 500C maintains the basic frame of the standard coupe, with additional reinforced crossmembers to maintain the car’s rigidity and improve crash protection.
With most soft-top convertibles their tops are designed to tuck into the trunk or a special hatch, the 500C’s roof simply slides back. That means the minicar loses none of its precious cargo or passenger space. Meanwhile, a pull of the trunk’s latch automatically moves the folded top out of the way for easy access to the cargo compartment.
A pull on the latch and the foldaway Fiat 500C roof slides out of the way of the trunk.
While some of the newer convertibles on the market allow the operation of their top at low speeds, the canvas roof of the Fiat 500C can operate at speeds of up to 60 mph, said Soave.
The Fiat 500 line launched late last year, marking the return of the brand to the U.S. market after a roughly two decade absence.
The Italian maker intends to roll out a succession of variants off the base 500 coupe, including the new 500C convertible, a performance-oriented Abarth edition and a 500-based battery-electric vehicle.
Fiat's 500C wall display at the 2011 NY Auto Show.
Soave has told TheDetroitBureau.com that other Fiat product lines could follow.
The Italian maker entered into an alliance with Chrysler after the latter company emerged from bankruptcy, in 2009. Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne earlier this week announced plans to increase the maker’s Chrysler stake to 46%. As their partnership expands, the two brands plan to steadily increase their joint product development efforts.
The 2012 Fiat 500C will start at $19,500, compared with a $15,500 base for the 500 coupe.