Volvo Following BMW Down-Market to Do Battle with Volkswagen

Small is good. Small cars are easy to park, easy to maneuver, and easy on gas. But small isnt limited to budget-friendly economy cars.

BMW has had great success exploring the smaller side of things with the MINI and the 1-Series, and Mercedes-Benz is no stranger with its A- and B-Class compacts. Benz even produces the worlds smallest production vehicle, the Smart fortwo. In a surprising move, Volvo will enter the junior ranks with its own compact hatchback, scheduled to hit the production line in 2006.

Dubbed

Volvo will enter the junior ranks with its own compact hatchback, reportedly similar in design to the SCC and 3CC (shown) concepts. (Photo: Volvo of North America)

Reports are that the design of the C30 was inspired by Volvos Safety Car Concept (SCC). (Photo: Volvo of North America)

From the few short glimpses of the slide presentation and from insider reports, weve learned that the C30 has a sporty and stylish two-door sportwagon body, with a styling theme that coincides with the brands newfound modern image. One could liken the C30 to the similarly shaped, oddball 480 Coupe sold in Europe during the mid-1980s.

The design of the C30 was inspired by two of Volvos concept cars, the Safety Car Concept (SCC) which

Essentially, designers have taken the best parts of each concept car, and fused them together. (Photo: Volvo of North America)

What will set the Volvo apart from other compact executive hatchbacks are the details in the cars design. For starters, the C30 is a two-door hatchback, not a three-door, as the hatch is composed of a frameless, glazed plate of glass. Another neat detail is that

Volvos reputation was mainly built on its innovations in safety, but dont expect to see the far-fetched equipment of the SCC. (Photo: Volvo of North America)

Another area where Volvo hopes to attract customers is through its advanced safety features. Volvos reputation was mainly built on its innovations in safety, but dont expect to see the far-fetched equipment of the SCC, like the gimmicky heartbeat monitor. Road-adapting headlamps, blind spot warning system and active radar cruise control, on the other hand, could very well be on the options list. The C30 should be rated amongst the best in class in passive safety due to its super-rigid structure, and extensive use of super-high-tensile steels.

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