The company hopes to sell 65,000 C30s annually. Although it will be sold in the U.S. as a 2008-or-later model, the primary markets will be Germany, Italy, Spain and the U.K., Volvo said. The car goes on sale in Europe and other foreign markets next summer and officially debuts at the Paris auto show in September.

The C30, which will compete with the Mini Cooper, is aimed at young singles or couples with “intense city lifestyles,” Volvo said. Its compact dimensions are suited to driving and parking on cramped city streets. The C30 is most visually interesting from the rear, with a unique taillight design and rear window hatch. Note the resemblance to the 1971 Volvo P1800 ES and 2001 Saftey Concept Car pictured at right, both of which inspired the C30’s design.

The front of the car resembles the S40 sedan and V50 wagon. The C30 will be powered by the 218-hp turbocharged five-cylinder engine used in those vehicles. That engine is more powerful but less fuel efficient than that of the Mini Cooper S; it gets an EPA-estimated 21 mpg city/30 mpg highway in the S40 and V50, while the Mini Cooper S averages 23 mpg to 25 mpg city/32 mpg highway.

The interior accommodates four occupants and the rear seat-backs fold forward to expand luggage capacity. The signature thin, “floating” center console from the S40/V50 has been incorporated into the C30’s interior design. As expected, the C30 comes with a litany of standard safety features, including whiplash protection and side airbags.

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The all-new 2007 S80 flagship sedan will be the first Volvo sedan to come with a V8 engine a version of the compact yet powerful unit in the XC90 V8. Cars equipped with this engine will come with all-wheel drive and produce 315 hp and 325 pound-feet of torque. One or two other smaller engines will also be available in North America.

An all-new inline six-cylinder engine will be the entry engine choice in the U.S., said Volvo CEO Frederik Arp in an interview in Geneva. This appears to be a direct volley to BMW’s 5 Series, a main competitor with a well-regarded inline six cylinder, along with the Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Volvo’s new 3.2-liter six cylinder produces 238 hp with 236 pound-feet of torque.

A turbocharged inline five cyliner is a possibility as well, but still not confirmed for North America. The S80 will likely have a base price just below $40,000 and is scheduled to hit the U.S. in late 2006 as a 2007 model.[Forbes]

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A stealth convertible, the C70 looks like a coupe to unsuspecting onlookers. Thirty spectacular seconds later, it’s a convertible, its sectioned roof stored in the trunk. I say spectacular in the purest sense of the word: The fully automatic articulated top is a spectacle that stops surrounding traffic. A global window switch on the driver’s armrest allows all four windows to be raised or lowered simultaneously.

At its debut, the C70 comes only in the T5 trim level, which represents the turbocharged five-cylinder engine. As a result, what you see is what you get: a sleek car with 17-inch alloy wheels. Exterior options that change it up include xenon high-intensity-discharge headlights and 18-inch alloy wheels with lower-series summer performance tires.

When it comes to sportiness, the looks came to Volvo first. Since then, the company has made incremental performance improvements, and they really show in this latest model. Its handling and steering, in particular, are up to the task. The C70 is a so-called touring model, so it’s not going to carve up the twistiest roads on the tail of Porsches and such, but it’s more athletic than expected.

It’s a couple of notches above the likes of the Toyota Camry Solara and Chrysler Sebring, and definitely on par with its countryman, the Saab 9-3 ragtop. It’s admirably rigid, with minimal shake and twist in the body. I give it a noodle factor of al dente.

As a front-wheel-drive car, the C70 is inherently front-heavy, yet it felt nicely balanced to me, and the understeer was more than reasonable when driven aggressively or on slick surfaces. It was even better when the top was down, likely because its weight shifts toward the back when the top is stowed in the trunk.

The Michelin Pilot all-season tires on my test car were a good match for the vehicle’s abilities. While Volvo’s steering historically has left plenty to be desired, there are real improvements here. It’s not as numb-feeling, and the power assist is more appropriate at all speeds.

The biggest shortcoming is torque steer, the tendency of the steering wheel to jerk left and/or right under heavy acceleration. Any time a front-drive car has appreciable torque, it’s going to have some torque steer. My feeling is that it’s worse in the C70 than it should be. The traction control aspect of the electronic stability system helps to quell the slippage and keep you on the intended path.

Currently only one engine is offered: a turbocharged 2.5-liter inline-five-cylinder. A six-speed manual transmission is standard and a five-speed automatic is optional. Though I love manuals, I only got to drive a manual C70 for a few minutes; most of my time was in the automatic. Once again, the drivetrains are a nice match for the car’s abilities. The C70 isn’t a sports car, but it’s far from being a slowpoke. More important, its turbo doesn’t seem to cause lag. When you step on the pedal, the car goes.

In addition to having a hard top for all-season comfort, the C70 is very well-equipped for driving on snow and ice. First, it’s front-wheel drive. Second, it has the standard stability system. Third, if you get the automatic, it has a Winter mode that controls the engine and transmission for better acceleration on the slippery stuff. It basically keeps the transmission in as high a gear as possible, which limits the power at the drive wheels and minimizes wheelspin. You can do the same manually if you use the clutchless-manual mode, which lets you accelerate from a dead stop in 2nd or 3rd gear if you so choose.

The C70 boasts the advantages of most retractable hardtops: a quiet, well-insulated cabin and better rear visibility than is common among soft-top convertibles. It also boasts the advantages of most Volvos: seats an orthopedist can love, simple functionality and lushness somewhere between premium and luxury.  Power is standard on the vinyl front seats, although adjusting them is best accomplished with the door open, because it cramps the controls when closed.

The lumbar knobs on the sides of the backrests are also difficult to reach. The driver’s height adjustment offers significant range for drivers of all statures. A manual tilt/telescoping steering wheel adds to comfort and safety, as does the active roll bar behind the backseat. It pops up only in the event of a rollover, so there’s no additional structure blocking the rear view.

The storage provisions reflect the quirks for which Swedish cars are known. The rigid door pockets are strangely narrow, and one section has a cover that flips up. The center storage console behind the gear selector and modestly sized cupholders is hardly large enough for a CD case, at an angle, and its cover is too low and far back to serve as an armrest for most drivers. The glove compartment has a smallish opening but is about as deep as any I’ve seen. It’s illuminated and it locks.

The C70 has the cargo limitations common to convertibles and especially retractable hardtops, but it makes the most of its space with a couple of advanced features (best illustrated in the pop-up photos). Lifting the rather stiff trunklid reveals a 12.8-cubic-foot trunk. The total space is available only if the top is raised and you flip up the partition that defines the roof’s storage space when it’s lowered. If you want the top to go down, you must leave this partition in place. The cargo volume below it is roughly 6 cubic feet.

In some convertibles, the lowered top blocks access to storage space in the trunk underneath it. Less common is the button Volvo provides that raises the folded top within the trunk and allows access to the space under that partition.

The C70 also has a ski pass-thru in the center of the backseat, a provision that remains the exception rather than the rule in convertibles. The C70 peculiarly stores its electric tire pump in the cavity behind the pass-thru door. Buyers who want an optional compact spare tire can get one in place of the goo-and-pump system.

Some of the uplevel standard features not already mentioned include automatic climate control, a six-CD changer, steering-wheel stereo controls and an auxiliary MP3-player input. The options overwhelmingly are niceties, not musts: leather upholstery, heated seats, a navigation system, sonar rear parking assist and the like. This is how it should be.

For the record, you definitely should check out the optional premium stereo by Dynaudio. Don’t be swayed by brand names, price or speaker counts. A stereo can have all these things and sound terrible. The Dynaudio system, on the other hand, is exceptional.  For one thing, it’s musical and powerful without bombast, even when the top is down.

Second, the Dolby Pro Logic II surround processor gives you separate control over the center speaker and surround levels. At $1,550, the system isn’t cheap, but the same can be said of optional stereos with far lesser performance.

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When it comes to design, the front spoiler (option) has been redesigned to get a more pronounced and protruding contour at the bottom. On optional variants the entire front spoiler, including the sills and rear lower bumper, are colour coordinated with the car body. The boot lid can also be specified with a sporty new wing spoiler.

The 2007 model also gets a new grille with a larger and more pronounced Volvo emblem in the form of the classic but rejuvenated iron symbol. The door mirrors feature integrated side indicators. At the same time, a practical new indicator function is being introduced: Press lightly on the lever and the indicator flashes three times.

Three new exterior colours – Electric Silver, Orinoco Blue and Maple Red – give increased freedom of choice, as do the three new aluminium wheels – Nodus (7×16 inches), Tucana (7.5×17 inches) and Eudora (8×18 inches).

Sportier interior with metal decor trim and twin-tone leather upholstery
The interior has a number of new features, including new Grid Aluminium metal decor panels. These panels are optional and have been designed to create a more three-dimensional impression and tactile feeling. On the column stalks, the air intake controls and the steering wheel, aluminium bright work has been added. The bright work is also included on the new three-spoke sports steering wheel in perforated leather (option).
To further enhance the sporty tone, the instrument panel can be optionally specified with the same type of watch-like instruments introduced in the new Volvo S80 and that were previously the exclusive preserve of Volvo’s sportiest model, the S60 R. Another new option is the interior rear-view mirror with built-in compass.

The range of upholstery has been renewed with a sporty leather upholstery option in two contrasting shades and textures topped with contrasting stitching.

Increased driving pleasure with advanced chassis
In order to highlight the car’s sporty nature out on the road, the standard chassis has been further developed in a number of areas. Firmer shock absorbers and springs front and rear increase the car’s torsional rigidity by about 25 percent. The anti-roll bars are also sturdier than before and the bushes are solid, which together promote a harmonious balance between reassuring road manners and supple ride comfort.

“The further-developed chassis makes the S60 even sportier and more enjoyable to drive without compromising on comfort,” says Gerry Keaney.

Active Bi-Xenon Light – turning headlights
The Volvo S60 can also optionally be equipped with Active Bi-Xenon Light – the moving headlight beams that follow the curve of the road. A mini-processor is used to measure and analyse a number of parameters and optimise the beam pattern accordingly. The headlight beams can be turned up to 15 degrees in either direction, and can thus illuminate a longer stretch of road even in curves.

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The news here comes from the folks at World Car Fans who say it will be dubbed XC60, rather than XC50 and that it will share a platform with the V70. Based on the Ford C1 EUCD platform, the XC60 should sport familiar gas and diesel engines from the S40 and V50. It is also expected to share much with the next-generation Land Rover Freelander/LR3, including its trick AWD system.

Although only labeled a concept at this point, the car should be unveiled at the NAIAS in Detroit in January and go on sale as early as Spring 2008. Expected to be approximately the same size as the Toyota RAV4, it will compete a bit further upscale with the likes of the Lexus RX, BMW X3 and new Acura RDX. Styling is conservative and the family resemblance is unmistakable if this rendering is accurate.

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Next week at London’s British Motor Show, the public gets its first look at the Volvo XC90 SE Sport, a new take on the Swedish marque’s SUV that applies suspension and appearance mods to give it a more dynamic attitude on-road. The suspension tuning was refined in Great Britain and consists of stiffer shocks and anti-roll bars to give the ute more bite when cornering. In addition, the speed-sensitive power steering is now more responsive. The XC90’s self-leveling system also gets tweaked to complete the suite of handling upgrades.

Visually, new Passion Red paint is added to the options checklist, and the exterior trim loses its chrome look in favor of a satin silver finish. Wheel arch extenders are added to cover new Pirelli P-Zero-shod 19″ wheels, and brushed stainless moldings trim the sills. The roof rack is deleted, but is available as a no-cost option. Inside, perforated leather sport seats keep the driver in place, and chrono-style gauges look back at him (or her) from the dash.

Power comes from Volvo’s Yamaha-built 4.4L V8, the new 3.2L V6 last seen in the LR2 / Freelander 2, or in Europe, the D5 2.4L five-cylinder turbodiesel. A six-speed automatic is available with all three engines. In addition, the diesel can be fitted with a six-speed manual.

In all, the XC90 Sport SE looks like a nice package that conveys sportiness without going overboard in the looks department.

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Its interior is handsome and the available leather has a high-quality look and feel. Notable improvements for ‘06 include a revised all-wheel-drive system for better performance, newly designed wheels and simplification of the options and packages.

The S60’s 2.5T uses a turbocharged 2.5-liter engine rated at 208 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque stretching from 1500 to 4500 rpm. A five-speed automatic is standard, while a five-speed Geartronic automatic with Auto-stick is part of an option package.

The Volvo S60 rides well and handles well. It feels stable at high speeds. The all-wheel-drive model provides excellent driver control on slippery surfaces. The turbocharged models, designated by a T, offer strong acceleration performance. Volvo is renowned for safety engineering and the S60 is fully equipped with active and passive safety features including a rigid safety cage.

Four models are available for 2006: S60 2.5T ($30,270), S60 2.5T AWD ($32,045), S60 T5 ($32,045), and S60R ($37,920). The S60 2.4 has been deleted. Revisions for ‘06 include reorganized options packages, newly designed wheels and a new exterior color.

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The Volvo C30 Concept is a sporty two-door, four-seater with a glass tailgate. The sleek, modern look is exhibited in a contrasting combination of two colors; Quite White and Very Bronze. The design clearly reflects several elements from the Volvo Safety Concept Car.

Five-Cylinder Turbo Engine with 260 Horsepower

Measuring 165.4 inches front to rear, the Volvo C30 Concept is no less than 0.9 inch shorter than the Volvo S40, but slightly wider (69.4 inches). Under the bonnet the Volvo C30 Concept has an in-line five-cylinder 2.4-litre turbocharged engine. It gives the driver 260 horsepower at 5,500 revs a minute and maximum torque of 258 lb-ft between 2,100 and 5,000 revs. The car is fitted with a six-speed manual gearbox.

The Volvo C30 Concept accelerates from 0-60 mph in 5.8 seconds and its top speed is electronically limited to 155 mph.

Wheels and Brakes

The 19-inch aluminum wheels have Pirelli Corsa 225/35 R19 tires. There are four-pot brakes from Brembo with aluminum calipers and 330 millimeters ventilated brake discs both front and rear.

“Sporty driving characteristics are a must to attract this customer category. A car that radiates muscular agility has to live up to its appearance once you slip behind the steering wheel,” says Hĺkan Abrahamsson, the C30 Project Director.

ES-Inspired Tailgate

The dynamic front is characterized by the angled headlamps and the low, wide grille. Looking along the side, the well-defined wheel arches and the sloping roofline gives the car a fast silhouette, which is emphasized by the extreme boat shape of the glasshouse. The curvature of the rear shoulders is very pronounced and further enhanced by the horseshoe-shaped tail light pattern and the glass tailgate.

Full Four Seater

The interior reinforces the sporty character of the Volvo C30 Concept. The individual rear seats with generous legroom make the car a full four-seater. The rear seats are slightly centered, which gives the passengers an aura of space along with good visibility to the front.

World Class Audio System

A first-class audio system is an important part of the driving experience. That is why the Volvo C30 Concept has Volvo’s Premium Sound system, with 5×130 W digital ICE Power amplifier from Alpine, Dolby Pro Logic II Surround and 10 loudspeakers from Dynaudio of Denmark.

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