Hot on the heels of the new 2010 Mercedes E-Class Coupe comes its convertible brethren that was spied by our scoopsters in Germany essentially undisguised as the only parts of the car that remain undercover are the badges and the lights. Even though many of its rivals including the BMW 3-Series Cabriolet and the Lexus IS C offer folding metal hard tops, the topless E-Class sticks with the traditional canvas roof top which has its advantages in terms of weight- and cost-savings.

Our latest scoop photos reveal that with the exception of some necessary styling changes at rear to accommodate the soft top, the Convertible is identical to its coupe counterpart.

While our man with the long-lens didn't manage to get close enough to the prototype to snap a picture or two of the interior, don't bank on seeing anything different than the Coupe's cabin and dashboard layout.

As is the case with the E-Class Sedan and Coupe, the CLK Convertible's replacement will come in several performance flavors. Customers will most likely have the same five engine choices as in the E-Class Coupe that include two diesels, a 204HP 2.2-liter four-pot and a 231HP 3.0-liter V6, and three petrol units, a 204HP 1.8-liter turbocharged-four, a 292HP 3.5-liter V6 and a range-topping 5.5-liter V8 churning out 388HP.

The four-seater E-Class Convertible will make its debut either at the 2009 Frankfurt Show or at a major international auto show early next year with the first examples of the car planned to arrive at Mercedes showrooms sometime during the first half of 2010.