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Detroit 2006: Volvo C30 Design Concept official release

Detroit 2006: Volvo C30 Design Concept official release

Last week, we received a photo said to be of Volvo's much-anticipated C30 hatchback. We decided to withhold the image until better information regarding its source became available. It turns out the photo was inadvertently leaked via Volvo's Spanish press website. A press release, dated January 4th, also accompanied the images, with no apparent embargo date. The car pictured is marked as a "C30 Concept" which explains its strange color scheme -- something that originally made us question the image's validity. According to Volvo, the C30 Design Concept, which will be unveiled at the Detroit motor show, offers a taste of what's to come in the forthcoming production model. The wraps will come off the all-new Volvo C30 at the Paris motor show in September 2006, and the car will be successively introduced throughout the world starting at the end of the year. The car is scheduled to go on sale in the U.S. in the summer of 2007. (Click the right image for a high-resolution view).



"We know there are large numbers of fairly young, successful people who are attracted by our brand, but who still cannot find a model in our range that exactly matches their taste and lifestyle. The Volvo C30 Design Concept was developed precisely for this group,"? said Fredrik Arp, President and CEO of Volvo Cars.

Volvo focused primarily on singles and on couples without children, who regard the car as a tool for pursuing their hectic lifestyles. When they buy clothes, decorate their homes or purchase home electronics, design and brand name are particularly important factors - and they choose their cars according to the same criteria.

"From its inception, the Volvo C30 Project was focused on one primary demographic group: Young urbanites with accelerating careers and intensive, active lifestyles. Customer clinics allowed these people to voice their opinions and give their views on the car's design and technical content."

"These customers move in a fast paced world between their homes, work, meetings, the gym and their favorite restaurants and nightclubs in town. Many of them describe their ideal mode of transport as nimble car designed 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,"? explains HÃ¥kan Abrahamsson, C30 Project Director.

"The Safety Concept Car (SCC) heralded a bold design language for Volvo. Its roots could be found in the classic proportions of the P1800 ES, but there was no denying that it was also a Volvo of the future. As it turned out, the SCC is an excellent reflection of our ambition for the C30 project,"? said Abrahamsson.