Volvo Targets the Young with New C30
KUALA LUMPUR, Monday June 23: Volvo Car Malaysia introduced the new Volvo C30, a 2-door sports coupe, clearly with the view of appealing to the younger set. The Volvo C30 is the Swedish car maker’s first foray into the small and premium car segment, and is described as “not only safe but comes with a whole lot of attitude.”
“The C30 debunks the myth that Volvo cars are only about safety. The C30 is fresh, sporty, dynamic, sexy, fun, zippy, funky, cute and simplicity all thrown in together.
“And being a Volvo, it contains Volvo’s leading traits of safety, ergonomics, form and function – plus a whole lot of excitement thrown in. With the C30, people will see Volvo differently,” said Mr. Robert Norrman, President of Volvo Car Malaysia.
The C30’s targeted profile is the young and young-at-heart, active urbanites whose lifestyle is to work hard and play hard.
“It is for Malaysians lots of zest and energy, who embrace life to the fullest! The Volvo C30 fits these stand-out personalities perfectly,” said Norrman during the launch event.
The C30, built on the same platform as the S40, combines the good looks of the classic Volvo P1800 ES and the modern Safety Concept Car, and while safety is still the most important feature in all Volvos, the C30 also comes with a design difference to elicit excitement.
The front end is very ‘Volvo’ and looking at it head on, you might mistake it for a S40, with its large Volvo grille and the snub nose with a short overhang.
The rear end drops sharply, giving the C30 a unique appearance, perhaps inspired by its distant Japanese cousin.
In the interior, there is the tunnel console and the armrest that has been given a completely new design matching the dashboard’s unique, floating centre console and with the same type of decor inserts. The aim has been to provide the highest possible feeling of quality while still increasing the flexibility and storage possibilities.
In the rear, the Volvo C30 is equipped with two individual seats instead of a conventional bench seat. The side panels are divided into two compartments. The space between the seats is occupied by a comfortable armrest and can also be used to load long, narrow objects. The seat backrests can be folded down to provide a large, almost completely flat load floor. The backrests can also be lowered from outside (with the hatch open). The luggage compartment can be equipped with two different luggage blinds – a soft type that can be used with the backrests up or down, and a rigid type that is mounted behind the upright backrests. The front seats are fold down, making access to the rear even easier.
The car’s bevy of standard safety features include the four-wheel anti-lock braking system (ABS), Dynamic Stability Traction Control (DSTC) and airbags all around for side impact and rollover protection, plus front and rear crumple zones.
It has Volvo’s Intelligent Driver Information System (IDIS) which continuously monitors the car’s pre-emptive systems such as steering wheel angle, pedal depressions.
To overcome “blind spots”, the C30 has the optional BLIS (Blind Spot Information System), which features cameras built into the side-view mirrors which detect vehicles in your blind spots and prompts an indicator to flash at the bases of the A-pillars.
The Volvo C30 has a patented front and rear structure using four different grades of steel to absorb and redistribute impact energy around the body of the coupe. Volvo’s Whiplash Protection System and Side Impact Protection System with side airbags and Inflatable Curtain are also standard. The seat belts have pre-tensioners to protect the occupants.
The high-style interior is Scandinavian influenced, for drivers who enjoy visual clean modern lines. The bucket seats are all highly adjustable, through power automatic levers. Seats are high quality fabric.
Under the hood, the 2.4i litre in line 5-cylinder engine gives out 170 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and produces 230Nm of torque at 4,400 rpm, giving the C30 a top speed of 215 km/h and a 0 -100 km/h acceleration time of 8.8 seconds.
The 5-speed geartronic automatic transmission allows a fully-automatic comfort drive or a manual mode for greater active driving pleasure.
The Volvo C30 is sold at RM215,500 (On-the-road without insurance).
