| For the past ten years, Volvo has been moving away | | | | second row. |
| from their reputation of making boxy cars. While the | | | | While the design of the car has been given much |
| original design is an effort of the company in relation to | | | | attention, the performance has also been given the |
| their "safety first" philosophy, competition have upped | | | | same thought. The coupe's powerplant is a |
| the ante in terms of designs in an effort to attract | | | | turbocharged five-cylinder engine which can provide up |
| younger buyers that will remain loyal to them. The | | | | to 218 horsepower and coupled to either a six-speed |
| logical step therefore is for Volvo to design stylish car | | | | manual or a five-speed automatic transmission |
| in consonance with today's standards. But the effort to | | | | depending on what the customer opts for. Both |
| alter their tried and tested design must be done while | | | | transmissions facilitate the smooth transition of power |
| still keeping the safety of their customers in mind. This | | | | from the Volvo plug-induced combustion in the souped |
| evolution in the design of Volvo cars is apparent in its | | | | up engine to the wheels. The engine can power the |
| first entry to the compact luxury car market which is | | | | car from a standstill to 60 miles per hour in 6.6 |
| the Volvo C30. | | | | seconds and can further give it a top speed of 146 |
| The car's exterior, designed by Simon Lamarre, is a | | | | mph. Suspension comes in two settings which are the |
| testament to the company's effort to connect with the | | | | Comfort and the Dynamic which allows the driver to |
| younger generation of car buyers. The Volvo C30 is a | | | | adapt the suspension to the terrain he is driving his |
| combination of modern styling and a touch of past | | | | over. |
| styling evident on the coupe's glass tailgate. The | | | | Safety is once again emphasized by Volvo in the |
| designed penned by the Canadian-born designer relies | | | | development of the car; after all, the Ford Motor |
| on the long rear side windows, rear side panels, and | | | | Company subsidiary is known the world over by their |
| the rear window with upright taillights on each side to | | | | safety-first attitude towards car production. The coupe |
| catch the attention of its prospective buyers. The | | | | has the standard airbags and safety belts which are |
| interior of the Volvo C30 is designed to impress, with | | | | the most advanced in any vehicle in the market. It also |
| its floating center stack as the first thing that anyone | | | | carries with it two safety systems just recently |
| will notice upon entering the vehicle. | | | | developed and employed by Volvo on their cars. One |
| The car is essentially a four seater but the compact | | | | of the systems is the BLIS technology or Blindspot |
| design of the coupe makes access to the second | | | | Information System which uses cameras to alert the |
| row of seats a little bit hard. But the car is intended by | | | | driver if any car has entered his blindspot. Another |
| Volvo to be used as a two seater with extra luggage | | | | system being employed by the car is IDIS or Intelligent |
| space. With this in mind, the second row of seats can | | | | Driver Information System which will suppress text |
| be folded down to increase its luggage capacity to 32 | | | | messages and non-critical warnings when it senses |
| cubic feet from a meager 10 cubic feet with the | | | | that the driver is working the car hard. The system |
| second row of seats in an upright position. The sloping | | | | does this with the aid of sensors that checks the |
| roof of the coupe limits the view to the rear and | | | | steering, throttle, and brakes and turn signals. |
| decreases the headspace for anyone sitting on the | | | | |