When Volvo unveiled the C30 Design Concept at this year's
Detroit Motor Show we were among the crowd of media in the Cobo Hall to witness the opening of a new chapter in Volvo's history. The show car looked stunning, though few of those present could have believed that Volvo would put this car into production unaltered.
Well, Volvo has surprised us all this week by releasing official photographs and initial specification details of the new C30 ahead of the car's public unveiling at the
Paris Motor Show in September. Other than the adoption of a more conventional paint colour, the production car looks all but identical to the concept.
The front of the new Volvo C30 closely resembles the current S40 and
V50 estate and it shares those cars' patented crash structure, but the C30's stance is far sportier, thanks in part to the flared wheelarches in a contrasting colour and an exaggerated shoulder line that has now become a Volvo styling trademark. The side profile is quite unlike any modern Volvo, sharing more with the Volvo P1800 of the early sixties. The all-glass rear hatch also mimics the classic Volvo, but the rear of the C30 is anything but retro. Distinctive, bold lights surround the rear hatch, giving a horseshoe shape to the rear end. Initial press pictures depict twin-exit exhausts, a prominent roof spoiler and large alloys in the same design of the original concept, but it is likely that lower-priced models will do without some of these items.
Elements of the new C30's interior will be familiar to current Volvo owners, including the cool floating centre console and a simple dashboard shape. The three-door only model has four distinct seats, which reflects the target buyer group of singles or young couples that have yet to start a family. The rear seats are squeezed towards the centre of the car to give occupants a better view out and decent elbowroom on either side.
At launch, the C30 will be available with a range of familiar Volvo engines, including four and five-cylinder petrol and diesel options. Topping the range are the 220bhp T5 and the 178bhp D5 units. There is no talk of four-wheel drive as yet, though it's an interesting prospect.
Volvo (somewhat pessimistically in our opinion) predicts worldwide sales of 65,000 cars per year, with 75% of that in Europe. We think that the USA will take a sizeable number more C30s than predicted with its gradual move into smaller cars; take the iconic MINI as an example. Serious competitors will be the
BMW 1 Series (of which there will be a three-door version shortly) and the
Audi A3. After its Paris Show debut, the C30 will go on sale at the very start of 2007. Prices will be announced closer to that time.
Shane O' Donoghue - 26 Jul 2006
