Volvo seeks out a younger buyer

Volvo seeks out a younger buyer
Photos by -Autonet.ca
Joe Duarte
Published: 04 01 2006

Volvo says the Volvo C30 Design Concept, a sporty 4-seat coupe with a glass tailgate and contemporary styling, will provide a new, young, dynamic customer group a Volvo to call its own.

"We know there are a large number of fairly young, successful people who are attracted to our brand, but who haven't yet found a model in our range that exactly matches their tastes and lifestyles," says Fredrik Arp, President and CEO of Volvo Cars. "The Volvo C30 Design Concept was developed precisely for this group."

During the evolution of the C30 Project, Volvo organized customer clinics in several European countries and invited young urban buyers with fast-paced careers and busy lifestyles to give their views on the car's design and technical content.

The company focused the clinics primarily on singles and couples without children — potential customers who regard design and brand name as particularly important factors in their clothes, decoration and electronic purchasing.

"These customers move at a fast pace — home, work, meetings, the gym and their favourite restaurants and nightclubs in town," explains Håkan Abrahamsson, C30 Project Director. "Many of them describe their ideal car as a runabout — a nimble car to get them where they want to go. They focus on attractive design and entertaining driving properties and rarely have more than two people in the car."

The customer clinics confirmed that the company had chosen the right path. A sporty design with two doors, four individual seats and lines inspired by the Volvo Safety Concept Car, makes the forthcoming production model a keen contender in a segment where competition for customers is razor-sharp.

Shown for the first time at the 2006 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the Volvo C30 Design Concept was a close representation of the C30 production model introduced at the 2006 Paris Motor Show in September 2006, and slated for production before the end of 2006. It was inspired by the Volvo Safety Concept Car (SCC) introduced at the 2002 Detroit show.

"The Volvo C30 plays an important role in the hunt for sales growth to 600,000 cars a year," says Arp. "It is vital that Volvo broaden its model range so that customers with an active urban lifestyle can choose a Volvo with the right appeal as early as possible."

"The C30 promises to build on the success of the Volvo S40 and V50 — cars that brought the Volvo brand to young families who might not have considered us before," adds Steve Blyth, President and CEO of Volvo Cars of Canada Ltd. "The success of S40 and V50 prove that we can reach new, young buyers with cars that appeal to them on their terms. The C30 will find favour with singles and young couples the way S40 and V50 resonated with young families."

The car is nine inches shorter than the current S40 sedan, but marginally wider. Power comes from a turbocharged 2.4-litre inline 5-cylinder engine making 260 horsepower and 258 lbs.ft of torque (between 2100 and 5000 rpm). Power delivery is handled by a 6-speed manual. Zero to 100 km/h reportedly takes six seconds, while 330 millimetre ventilated Brembo disc brakes front and rear bring it back to zero in a fraction of the time.

In a clear evolution of current Volvo designs, the C30's dynamic front end is characterized by angled headlamps and a low, wide grille. Around the side, well-defined wheel arches and a sloping roofline give the car a fast silhouette. Filling the wheel wells are 19-inch aluminium wheels shod with Pirelli Corsa 225/35R19 tires.

The curvature of the rear haunches is further enhanced by the horseshoe-shaped taillights pattern and the glass hatchgate (obviously inspired by the classic Volvo P1800 ES).

Inside, the individual rear seats offer generous legroom and are positioned toward the centre of the cabin to give occupants a sense of space and good visibility forward. However, Volvo stresses that the C30 Design Concept envisions a customer who rarely requires the use of the rear seats.

The luggage space behind the glass tailgate is designed for everyday loads such as briefcases and sports equipment — with the ability to swallow far larger loads when one or both rear seats are folded flat.

A first-class audio system is an important part of the young urban professional single's driving experience. For that reason, the Premium Sound System employs a 5x130 Watt digital ICE Power amplifier from Alpine, Dolby Pro Logic II Surround Sound processing and 10 speakers from Dynaudio.

"A car that radiates muscular agility has to live up to its appearance once you slip behind the steering wheel," concludes Abrahamsson.

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