Volvo C30 SportsCoupe to get first outing at Paris Motor Show

Veni, Vidi, Volvo

12 September 2006 15:36 GMT / By Jonathan Goddard

Volvo’s brave re-entry into the world of the small coupe will get it’s first outing at the Paris Motor Show this month.

The C30 SportsCoupe is a two-door, four-seater with glass tailgate, and bears a close resemblance to the original C30 Design Concept unveiled earlier this year. It doesn’t however, resemble in any way the 1980s dog’s dinner that was the avant-garde 480, which despite looking rather odd was actually jolly good.

“We are broadening our model programme to make it possible for new, younger customers with a busy lifestyle to choose a Volvo with the right appeal as early as possible”, says the Swedish manufacturer that’s half owned by flagging Ford.

The C30 will be the most compact model in the Volvo range and will compete against rivals such as the Audi A3 and BMW 1 Series. It will have a wide choice of engines, ranging from a four-cylinder 1.6-litre petrol engine and 1.6-litre diesel to a five-cylinder D5 diesel and 225bhp T5 petrol turbo.

Full prices and specifications will be released later this month, and first deliveries to the UK are pencilled in for early-2007.