Lexus IS 250C

Here's a drop-top that will upset the German status quo! Lexus' IS 250C goes on sale this summer and it's promising to give Audi's A5 Cabriolet and BMW's 3-Series Convertible a really hard time.

Only the bonnet, headlamps, door handles and mirrors are shared between the convertible and the saloon version, resulitng in a sleek and distinctive machine. The icing on the cake is an electrically folding metal roof, which stows away automatically in just 20 seconds.

Inside, Lexus has beefed-up the climate control system so that blows hotter when the roof is lowered,while a 12-speaker Mark Levinson sound system will go a long way to drowning out windnoise. There's plenty of space too – the IS 250C is a four-seater with enough luggage room for a golf bag even with the roof stowed in the boot.

There's no shortage of power either. As standard the IS 250C gets a 205bhp 2.5-litre V6 petrol engine, which should do 0-60mph in 8.5 seconds while top speed is likely to be around 135mph. Expect a whole host of equipment as standard including leather upholstery and satnav along with a price tag of around £30,000.