Hot Volvos show C30 potential

‘Sexy’ is Volvo’s new ‘safety’… That was the line being spun at the launch of the Swedish marque’s C30 hatch in September at the Paris Motor Show and again last week during the car’s local debut at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney.

The Golf-sized super-stylish four-place hatch looks set to change the mindset of car enthusiasts when it comes to Volvo.

With serious performance promised by the five-cylinder turbocharged T5 model and a frugal D5 turbodiesel model to be launched when the car arrives Down Under next April, the C30 is looking to conquest young upwardly mobile buyers and empty-nesters alike. In other words, look out Audi, BMW, Subaru and VW -- among others.

Now Volvo USA has taken the C30 zeitgeist another step. In an effort to blow what’s left of Volvo’s staid image out of the water, and perhaps tempt the cash-rich West Coast performance and tuner crowd, the company has unveiled three heavily modified, hot-rodded C30s.

Taking pride of place at the mammoth SEMA (Specialty Equipment Manufacturer Association) Show in Las Vegas, the Volvo hatches range from moderately mild to outrageously wild -- how’s over 370kW and all-wheel drive sound for a start!

The three cars are the separate visions of Evolve Cars, Heico Sportiv with Burton Snowboards, and IPD, and, according to Volvo: “represent what could be the ultimate dream cars for the growing number of C30 enthusiasts in the US and around the world.”

Each tuner was briefed to build the ultimate C30 -- what resulted are purely “design concepts and prototypes,” says Volvo.

Volvo supplied each company a production C30 T5 with a six-speed manual transmission and set one rule: all Volvo safety features must remain functional.

Evolve says its striking yellow C30 is "the ultimate street performer and track star with motorsports technology throughout". Sequential twin turbos boost power beyond 375kW (500hp-plus) and there’s race-inspired suspension, big brakes and an all-wheel drive system under the skin.

The ‘camo’ C30 is a collaboration between German tuner Heico Sportiv and Burton Snowboards. It’s also all-wheel drive but power is tapped at a more manageable 225kW (approx). The Burton car height-adjustable suspension, custom cut Toyo tires and a six-layer paint job that will “let the car blend in to the mountain environment while still turning heads on the road.”

Longtime US Volvo tuner International Product Development (IPD) went hi-po and hi-tech with its SEMA C30. Draped in the colors of the Swedish flag, the 285kW front-wheel drive has a significantly upgraded interior complete with touch-screen systems and even boasts gullwing doors.

Closer to home, the C30 continues to draw significant interest at Australian International Motor Show which closes on Monday.

According to Volvo Australia Public Affairs Manager, Todd Hallenbeck, the car has already attracted orders even though local pricing has not been announced.

“Response from the media and industry on open day was great and our VIP night at the show also delivered a lot of very positive opinion,” Hallenbeck told CarPoint.

“Most of our VIPs were here to see the new S80 and C70 cabrio, but the interest in the C30 was very strong. We’ve taken orders for both T5 and D5 variants,” he said.

Though the C30 SEMA concepts were biased towards all-wheel drive, Hallenbeck confirmed that no such beast existed in Volvo’s current planning.