The Volvo C30 is a small coupe produced by Volvo (part of the Ford Motor Company Group). The C30 is a three-door, four-seat hatchback powered by straight-4 and straight-5 engines. Despite the name, the car is the hatchback version of the S40/V50/C70 range and therefore uses Ford C1 platform.
The production car was officially unveiled at the 2006 Paris Motor Show. In mid-2006, the C30 was approved for production launch in late 2006 in Europe. The C30 went on sale in Canada in March 2007 as a 2007 model, and in October 2007 in the United States as a 2008 model, with the T5 as the single version. It is being marketed as a premium hatchback or "sports coupe" specially designed for first-time Volvo buyers and the youth market. Production is expected to be 65,000 units a year, 75% for sale in the European market.
Notably, the design of the C30 recalls another important Volvo, the 1800ES, the estate adaptation of the P1800 Coupe. According to Simon Lamarre, chief studio designer, "the 1800ES has become one of the icons for Volvo," inspiring the design of the Volvo C30. However, not everyone is pleased with the C30s "sawed-off rear" and calling it "Volvo's AMC Gremlin."
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