C30 has Golf in sights

Has the default choice for premium Euro hatches just changed? Volvo is hoping so.

The Ford-owned brand debuted its much previewed C30 hatch at Paris this week and the big news was its faithfulness to the C30 Concept unveiled at Detroit at the start of this year -- right down to the two-person rear seat.

Volvo displayed a swag of C30s in various states of customisation and engine tune at the Paris show. It hopes the range of personalisation in terms of paint and trim/seat colours, options (like big-bore exhausts) and powertrain choice available on the distinctly styled three-door (in Europe at least) will help it conquest new buyers and win sales from the likes of VW's Golf and the rest of the premium hatch segment.

The C30 debuts with a choice of no fewer than six four and five-cylinder petrol and engines from 1.6 to 2.5-litre and 74 to162kW output. Four diesel engines -- all with particulate filters -- will also be offered, the top D5 version boasting 132kW and 350Nm of torque. That said don't expect the same level of choice Down Under.

Volvo says the two important numbers for the C30 are 4.9 and 6.7 -- 4.9lt/100km economy on the wee 1.6-litre turbodiesel and 6.7sec 0-100km/h on the range-topping T5 petrol. The other number might be five -- expect the safety conscious brand's latest to top the EuroNCAP crash testing score soon.

In chassis terms the C30 is offered from mild to wild. The basic car rolls on 15-inch rubber with the top of the range on 18s. There's an aggressive body kit and lower sports suspension offered and the former can be had in contrasting colours a la the concept car.

A surprise to most was the production car's use of a four-place interior. Volvo says the four individual seats give the C30 a "surprising big-car feel". The rears are foldable for some degree of practicality. The rear load area is accessed by the C30's trademark glass tailgate.

Volvo made a fuss over the C30's audio system at Paris calling it: "one of the very best factory-fitted audio systems in the world." The Premium Sound features an output of 5x130W, ten speakers and Dolby Pro Logic II Surround sound.

The company says the C30 is focused primarily on singles, or couples without children who see the car "as an entertaining tool for keeping up with their intense lives."

"These are customers who move between their homes, the office, meetings, the gym, and to their favourite spots around town at a fast pace. This group prioritises exciting design and exhilarating driving characteristics, and for the most part there are not more than two people in the car," explained Håkan Abrahamsson, Project Director for the C30 project.

The C30 is expected to deliver for Volvo -- playing a significant role in the makers aim of reaching a production level of 600,000 cars per year. Volvo says around 75 per cent of the 65,000 C30s Volvo hopes to sell next year will be purchased by European customers.