Volvo to Build Golf-Rivaling Hatchback

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 the C30, this Swedish meatball is a small coupe designed to give the Audi A3, the two-door variant of the BMW 1-Series, and Mercedes-Benzs C-Class Sport Coupe a good run for their money. News of the cars arrival comes via this years Detroit Auto Show, in which a series of sneak peak images were shown at the firms press presentation.

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 debuted in Detroit

four years ago, and the environmentally-friendly 3CC which made its first appearance at last years Michelin Bibendum Challenge. Essentially, designers have taken the best parts of each car, and fused them together, according to reports. Expect to see the chunky, bumperless front end from the 3CC, melded with the upright rear styling of the SCC.

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 during braking, the high-mounted LED tail lamps illuminate to surround the outline of the hatchback. Unfortunately, the creative see-through pillars of the SCC are unlikely to be carried over to the production version.

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.

Like the European Ford Focus Mk.II, Mazda3, and Volvos own S40/V50, the C30 will use Fords C1 architecture, including the highly-responsive suspension and sharp electric power steering system. As for power, the lineup is expected to start with a 1.8-liter 125-hp I-4, moving to a 2.4-liter 170-hp turbocharged I-5, topping out with a 220-hp T5 performance model. A variety of manual and automatic gearboxes will be available.

As Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz prepare their compact executive cars for sale in North America for the 2006-2007 model year, its very likely that Volvo will participate in this rapidly growing segment. Expect the production-ready version to make its debut at next years North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Last year, Volvo sold 460,000 vehicles around the globe and the C30 will be instrumental in reaching the Companys goals of selling more than 600,000 units by 2007.