Volvo’s C30 hatchback may be attractive and a decent value, but its packaging prioritizes style over function in a very un-Volvo way. With just one door on each side and a small rear opening, the C30 would have a hard time challenging a VW Golf or Audi A3 in day-to-day practicality. And for Volvo’s sake that’s exactly what it needs to do.
The heavily disguised car you see above is probably the five-door version of the C30. Whether it’ll still be called a C30, or the badge reads V30 or H30—Volvo filed for a trademark for the latter last year—it’s too early to say. Based on the stance of the vehicle in these pictures, it seems like it’s riding too low to be the compact XC30 crossover that we’ve learned will, eventually, make it to production.
Regardless of name, expect the five-door hatch/wagon to be more practical than the current C30. It should seat five comfortably and, as a result of its more conventional shape, the glass hatchback door appears to have been replaced with a more normal half-glass/half-metal unit. Chances are it will be powered exclusively by four-cylinder engines—Volvo has told us, after all, that in the future it will only sell cars with four-pots—and Europeans will no doubt have a slate of diesel and gasoline engines from which to choose.
As for Americans, the future of both the five- and three-door C30 is unclear. Volvo is having a hard time selling small cars anywhere—especially in the States—and has been dropping models left and right. The S40 sedan and V50 have both been canceled in response to dismal sales. At the time that decision was announced, the company said that the C30 hatch and C70 convertible would live on, as they were always expected to be niche products. But since then, the C70 convertible has been given an expiration date, with no confirmation yet of a replacement model. This may very well mean that the five-door C30 is a nonstarter for the U.S., too.
