Volvo C30 2010 News

Volvo is about to hit the eco button with its first stop-start fuel savers as it also reveals plans for full-scale production of a plug-in hybrid with a diesel engine. Its longer term goal is to become a world leader in environmentally-friendly cars with a drive to zero emissions culminating in plug-in electric power. The C30 DRIVe model will lead Volvo's push on a zero-emission strategy and the first cars will be in showrooms in September. They have a stop- start system similar to the one already seen in the Smart ForTwo and the upcoming Land Rover Freelander II. There will eventually be a full range of DRIVe models as Volvo has produced seven for Europe, from the C30 to XC70, with CO2 emissions as low as 104grams/km. The drive DRIVe model is a C30 with a 1.6-litre turbodiesel engine that promises, with help from stop-start, fuel economy of 3.9L/100km and best-in-class CO2 emissions of 104g/km. The car also has low- rolling-resistance tyres with lowered suspension and a gearshift indicator. "At this stage, we can't confirm specification or pricing but should be in a better position to announce details around August," says Laurissa Mirabelli of Volvo Cars Australia. By 2011 the DRIVe program will see a direct-injection petrol turbo engine with fuel economy and emissions cut by up to 30 per cent as well as a next-generation micro-hybrid with stop-start. But the big breakthrough comes in 2012 with a plug-in hybrid, previewed this week in Sweden inside the body of a V70 station wagon. The plug-in Volvo is being developed in partnership with a Swedish energy company, Vattenfall. It uses a lithium-ion battery pack. "We're investing more than $1 billion on the joint venture, to investigate plug-in hybrids. They will be a reality from 2012," says Mirabelli. "Ideally, we'll also have them here within 12 months of production. The aim is economy of 1.9L/100km." Hitting those targets means using a diesel engine in the hybrid drivetrain, a move which has not been made yet by any maker. Most European brands are promising some form of diesel hybrid but, so far, the mass-market Toyota Prius and Honda Insight use petrol power. "The plug-in system takes five hours to charge and the electric range is 50 kilometre. That's on the demonstration car which is a V70," says Mirabelli.

The 'all new' Mazda 3 shares its mechanical platform with the Volvo C30 and Ford Focus and the engines are basically carried over from the previous 3

The car brand trumpeted as the world's safest will catch up with the pack next month. Volvo is at last making sure every car it sells in Australia is equipped with ESP and traction control as standard. It has yet to confirm details of the ESP upgrade, including prices, though all Australian cars coming off the production line this month – which means deliveries in June once they are shipped from Sweden – will have the system. “We can confirm that dynamic stability control and traction control will be standard on all Volvo models from May production,” says Laurissa Mirabelli of Volvo Cars Australia. While Volvo is talking up its ESP upgrade, it is also working to finalise details of next year's model line-up after an upgrade last week in Europe. They should be here by October, and the all-new XC60 all-wheel-drive wagon will be the headliner. The most obvious change, on everything from the baby C30 to the C70, is a larger Volvo badge on the boot. It picks up the prominence of the badge on the XC60 and the latest mid-sized wagons. The only other change across the range, though not confirmed for Australia, is exterior mirrors that fold flat for parking. “There will be some minor changes to Volvo's MY09 line-up this year, as there is with its models every year,” Mirabelli says. “The MY09s won't be here until much later this year and we're not in a position to confirm the extent of the changes yet, given we're still going through the business case process.” She says there are only minor tweaks to the range, apart from the XC60, and nothing big on the technical front. In Europe, there are minor tweaks to nine models and one of the best is an optional system called Homelink. It uses buttons integrated into the sun visor to operate remote-controlled home appliances such as garage doors, house alarms and lighting. There is an upgrade of the optional satellite navigation on the S40 and V50, a hard load cover is now standard on all C30s and the climate control is upgraded in the C70 with the addition of the Powershift gearbox already fitted to the C30, S40 and V50. The S80 flagship gets heated washer nozzles and chronograph-style dials in the dash.  

But now here comes the smallest Swede, the C30 which is 22cm shorter than the S40 mid-size sedan. While it still boasts many Volvo virtues such as high levels of safety equipment, it is clearly aimed at a different buyer. "The C30 doesn’t try in anyway to be a family car," says Volvo C30 program chief designer Simon Lamarre at the world launch on the Spanish holiday Island of Mallorca. "It’s not designed for people with kids. "We’re known for family cars, but we didn’t even consider putting in a fixed child’s seat or a pram in the rear cargo area." The premium coupe/hatchback C30 will arrive here in April with an entry level price of about $35,000 for the 2.4litre five-cylinder petrol five-speed manual up to about $44,000 for the T5 2.5litre turbocharged petrol and D5 2.4litre five-speed turbo diesel five-speed auto models. The D5 and T5 will also be available with a six-speed manual transmission. Volvo Car Australia PR manager Todd Hallenbeck said they were "still pushing hard for an attractive price". It will come with three trim levels and a host of exterior and interior colour combinations. "It’s all about customer customisation," says Lamarre. "Like mobile phones; you can change the colour of the phone, its cover, its wallpaper and its ring tone." In the C30, you can choose a white exterior with a brown body kit and even red carpet. There is a wide range of colour combinations available in the exterior, the body kit, upholstery, carpet shades and even three centre console finishes including an iPod white. Hallenbeck aid he hoped to have most of the combinations available, but trim details were not yet confirmed. The C30 clearly targets younger buyers rather than the traditional Volvo customer with its bold nose, rakish sloping roof, high sills, big wheels, funky glass tailgate, wide rear Porsche-like hips and sporty body kit. Its competition will include the 1 Series BMW, but mainly the Audi A3, even though it comes in a lot cheaper and better equipped than the German competitors. On price, alone, it would be more of a competitor with sporty variants of the Ford Focus, Mazda3, VW Golf and Holden Astra. "The A3 brought in more younger buyers, more women and it rejuvenated the brand," says Lamarre. "We expect the C30 to do the same." But there could be a big market in downsizing empty nestes who want a smaller car, but not necessarily fewer creature comforts. Top of the list of C30 attractions is the equipment levels: dual zone climate air conditioning with pollen filter; cruise control; proximity key that never needs leave your pocket; and two levels of audio including one with 10 Dynaudio speakers. The audio systems also include a jack to connect an MP3 player and from early in 2007, there will be a USB connector for an iPod. "People want style, performance and gadgets," says Lamarre. The C30 is a four-seater with the rear seats slightly offset to the middle to provide a good view of the road ahead for rear passengers, but still wide enough apart for a clear view between them for the driver. The cloth upholstery in the 2.4i is called "Dala" which is like a wet suit. It’s comfortable and appears to be very durable. Leather is an option on the 2.4i and standard on the D5 and T5. There is plenty of room in the front and back with seats supplying generous squab extension and contoured for comfort. The D5 and T5 will come standard with dynamic stability and traction control, with stability control on the 2.4i. Options include the award-winning BLIS system which alerts drivers of a car in their blind spot; a sport chassis which lowers the car 20mm and has firmer suspension; leater upholstery; and sunroof. Volvo expects to sell 600,000 cars worldwide in 2007, with 65,000 of them being C30s. In Australia, Volvo was the top-selling imported car from the early 1970s to the early ’90s and the company is hopeful the C30 will help return them to their glory days. Volvo Car Australia PR manager Todd Hallenbeck said they expected to sell 600 a year. Together with sales for other new products not available this year, this could lead to an extra 1500 sales in 2007. That includes 500 S80 saloons, 400 C70 convertibles plus an unknown number of diesel S40s. ON THE ROAD The Spanish holiday island of Mallorca is a strange mix of old and new architecture, partying young holidaymers and rich yachting tpes. Somehow this mirrors the appeal of the Volvo C30. It’s a bold and fresh new image for Volvo, especially that radical rear end, with enough of the Swedish DNA to make it unmistakeably Volvo. I get the feeling it will appeal to both the young who like the radical new look and the empty nesters who admire the proud nose and inconic badge. Heading out of Palma de Mallorca in peak-hour traffic, the C30 attracts plenty of stares and even some camera clicks form young and old alike. The T5 with the six-speed box feels easy to use in commuter traffic conditions, the gears shifting smoothly and swiftly without any notchy feeling. Out of Palma, the 120km/h freeways give the C30 a chance to stretch its legs. The T5 and D5 proved capable cruisers with enough grunt to overtake rapidly without urgent need for downshifting. But most of Mallorca has narrow and twisty roads with few bumps and rare opportunities for well-timed and brave passing. The C30 is perfectly suited to these conditions. First in the T5, the engine is so torquey you can drive most of the way in third. Wind it up on the short straights, then back off and the high compression engine tucks it into the corner. The brakes felt rather spongey and requiring plenty of pressure. Mid corner you let the revs drop as low as 1500 and it will still punch out from the apex without having to shift down. Only the hairpins required second and in some cases first gear. The manual T5s on test were fitted with the lowered sport suspension which had almost no understeer, unless you suddenly reefed on the steering wheel. Firing it out of the corner, there was a slight nose lift and mild torque steer. Steering is electro-hydraulic with a bit of play around the centre, but a distinct and controlled feel. Despite the sporty suspension, the few bumps where tree roots had tunneled under the super-smooth hot-mix asphalt are taken in its stride. By comparison, the standard suspension fitted to the five-speed auto D5s on test, is even more forgiving, but the nose wants to run wide and will not pull back near as easily. It runs down the road with a whisper of wind and tyre noise, but a howling diesel note when pushed. The petrol model didn’t even have an intake or exhaust growl to speak of. "The C30 is not designed as a sports car, but as a sporty car," says Volvo C30 program chief designer Simon Lamarre. No doubt, if it becomes a success, a more sporty version will be forthcoming. FAST FACTS ENGINES: 2435cc 5-cylinder petrol (2.4i); 2521cc 5-cylinder turbo petrol (T5); 2400cc 5-cylinder turbo diesel (D5) POWER: 125kW @ 6000rpm (2.4i); 162kW @ 5000rpm (T5); 132kW @ 4000rpm (D5) TORQUE: 230Nm @ 4400rpm (2.4i); 320Nm @ 1500–4800rpm (T5); 350Nm @ 1750–3000rpm (D5) TRANSMISSIONS: 5-speed manual (2.4i), 6-speed manual (D5, T5), 5-speed auto with sequential (all) DRIVE: front wheels SUSPENSION: spring-strut, lower link, anti-roll bar (front); individual, multilink, coil springs, anti-roll bar (rear) TURNING CIRCLE: 10.6 m BRAKES: ABS with electronic brakeforce distribution, 278–300/280mm ventilated discs DIMENSIONS (MM): 4252 (l), 1782 (w), 1447 (h), 2640 (wheelbase), 135 (ground clearance) KERB WEIGHT: 1204–1404kg FUEL: 91–98 RON and diesel (D5), 52litre tank (D5), 62litre tank (2.4i, T5) PRICES (estimated): $35,000 (2.4i), $44,000 (D5, T5) OPTIONS: BLIS blind spot alert ($1200), body kit, sports chassis, sunroof, leather trim.