Fiat will unveil a brand new cabriolet version of the 500 model online next Monday (January 16) as this exciting new car being the final countdown to its world première at next month's Geneva Motor Show and an arrival in the showrooms in time for the summer.

On the Fiat 500's dedicated website (www.fiat500.com) a blurred teaser shot, as is the pre-unveiling fashion nowadays, reveals the section where the A-pillar curves back to join the roof. The image is accompanied by the announcement that the first photos and information about the cabriolet version will be presented online at 9:00 AM next Monday.

The Fiat 500 cabriolet, to be known as the 500C, is the first niche version to be spawned by the 500 since its launch on 4 July 2007. In the 20 months since it arrived with a bang during a glittering extravaganza held in Turin, the 500 has proved to be a runaway sales success, and collected a host of important industry awards; these were topped off by the ultimate accolade of them all: Car of the Year 2008. As well as finding buyers across Europe, the 500 has gone on sale in countries scattered around the world such as Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Argentina and South Africa.

Now the first niche version is set to go on sale, and while the 500 unashamedly drew on the roots of its iconic predecessor, so does the new 500C which will feature a roll back canvas roof that will evoke memories of the original's model cabriolet versions half a century ago.

The compact roof section will be built by Magna Car Tops at a site near the Tychy factory in Poland where the 500C will be assembled alongside its closed-roof sister. Under the skin the new 500C, which has been seen heavily disguised during extensive testing by prototypes over the last year, will retain the same engine configuration as the hatchback: the 1.2 (70 bhp) and 1.4 (100 bhp) petrol versions running alongside the 1.3 Multijet turbodiesel (75bhp).