ONE of the most eagerly awaited open top cars of the year, the Renault Wind, will cost from £15,500 when it reaches showrooms this summer.

Not only will the new coupe-roadster undercut rivals like the Mazda MX-5 and Peugeot 207CC but will have a one-piece electric hard top roof that can fold in just 12 seconds.

The two-seater will be available to pre-order later this month in range-topping Collection limited edition guise, of which just 200 will find their way to the UK.

Customer ordering for the rest of the range, Dynamique and Dynamique S, opens in May ahead of first deliveries in July.

Two petrol engines are available, the flexible 133bhp 16-valve 1.6 from Twingo Renaultsport, or the smooth 1.2 TCe 100.

The entry level Dynamique offers core equipment like ABS with electronic brakeforce distribution, front and lateral driver and passenger airbags, brake assist, immobiliser and electric hard top roof.

Renault expects the Dynamique S to be the best seller and this grade adds 2x35W radio CD MP3 reader with fingertip remote control, 17-inch alloy wheels, auto lights and wipers, alarm, Bluetooth connectivity and multi-functional TunePoint USB connection.

Completing the launch line-up, the limited edition Collection,model brings heated chrome effect door mirrors, carbon black leather-faced heated seats, gloss black retractable roof, red and chrome dash inserts, leather sport wheel, aluminium pedals and Collection side and boot badges

There will also be a full list of options from metallic paint at £405 or camel tan leather seats at £950.

The Dynamique 1.2 TCe kicks off the Wind range at £15,500 and boasts a Combined miles per gallon figure of 44.8 while the 1.6-litre engine (40.3mpg) costs £16,400.

In Dynamique S trim the 1.2 TCe is £16,400 and 1.6 costs £17,300 while the Collection limited edition model is £17,300 for the 1.2-litre and £18,200 for the 1.6 version. Insurance groups have yet to be confirmed.