NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Automakers are trying to excite car buyers by going topless.

Based on strong steady gains in the sales of convertibles the last five years, automakers are rushing to introduce new convertible models that could take sales of the open-air vehicles to heights not seen since the 1950s.

The Nissan 350Z will have a convertible version in showrooms next month.

The current rush of new convertibles got under way this past winter with the first drop-top version of the Volkswagen Beetle in nearly 30 years. Next month, Nissan will set off on its own wind-blown drive down memory lane with a 350Z roadster, about a year after it reintroduced the coupe version of the popular sports car.

Cadillac is set to introduce the XLR, its first convertible in 10 years, in either late July or early August. Built on the platform of the next-generation Corvette, the two-seater XLR will be the most expensive Cadillac ever, with a list price around $76,200.

General Motors Corp.'s (GM: down $0.48 to $38.07, Research, Estimates) Chevrolet division also is set to unveil the SSR, bringing a retractable roof back to the pickup truck market. Chrysler Group, part of DaimlerChrysler AG (DCX: down $0.54 to $34.18, Research, Estimates), is preparing for a 2004 debut of the convertible version of its PT Cruiser, which straddles the line between passenger car and sport/utility vehicle. A new version of the Ford (F: down $0.24 to $11.28, Research, Estimates) Mustang, including a new convertible, also is expected next year.

None of the convertibles is likely to displace the light trucks among U.S. consumers. Auto sales tracker R.L. Polk & Co. says last year's sales of convertibles reached 302,320, or only about 4 percent of car models sold. The total market share is even less when light trucks, which now make up a majority of U.S. sales, are included.

But the convertibles are an important way to generate buzz and interest among potential buyers, and the premium pricing makes them a profitable niche when many cars are sold at a loss by U.S. automakers.

"Convertibles are a very good image vehicle," said Mark Pauze, analytic consultant for Polk. "It's an attention-getter that will draw people into showrooms."

Pauze said with the new convertible offerings in the showrooms, he expects convertible sales to be up from last year's total, which was the first slight decline after four years of gains that lifted sales about 40 percent from 1997 through 2001.

The carmakers introducing new ragtops agree they can be important for the brand name, even if relatively few of them roll out of the showroom.

"We felt a full line luxury vehicle needed to have a roadster in it," Cadillac spokesman Jeff Kuhlman said about the new XLR. "It tends to be a halo vehicle for the division. Dealers have been telling us they've had interest in the vehicle since we announced production."

Cadillac expects to make only about 5,000 to 6,000 XLRs a year. Other convertibles also will be niche, limited production vehicles, such as the SSR.

The PT Cruiser convertible, set to debut in 2004.

Volkswagen is expecting its Beetle convertible to be one of its top sellers, with U.S. sales of up to 30,000, which would put it just behind the hard-top version. So far, more than 40 percent of the nearly 25,000 Beetles sold have been convertibles, which has helped lift U.S. Beetle sales.

"After five years of the new Beetle, we knew that sales would tail off," VW spokesman Steve Keyes said. "There was absolutely pent-up demand for the convertible. People were waiting for this."

The soft-top Beetle costs about $4,500 more than a comparable hard-top model. That's a common premium when there are both hard-top and convertible models of the same vehicle. The pricing for the 350Z convertible is likely to be about $5,000 above the $31,000 asking price for the 350Z coupe, Nissan spokesman Tim Gallagher said.

The SSR convertible pickup truck is due in showrooms this summer.

"You're giving up a little in sound and trunk space, and paying a little higher pricing," Gallagher said. "But it's a more emotional purchase. It gets you out of the mode of taking kids around to soccer games."

While VW first started sending a few of the Beetle convertibles to showrooms last fall, it really didn't ramp up production until this spring, which is the start of the key selling season for convertibles.

"It's generally accepted practice that you'd like to launch in the spring," Cadillac's Kuhlman said. "Having said that, that's most likely a Midwest response. The West Coast and southern states are good year-round. The limited production will factor out concerns in our case. We've got enough orders from dealers to go almost three years right now."

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Despite the flashy and expensive new offerings, the Chrysler Sebring, one of the older convertible designs now on the market, is still the industry leader with 43,809 sales last year.

"It's great the others can carve a niche; we're still the convertible leader," Chrysler spokesman Bryan Zvibleman said.