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Video: Volvo C30 Polestar Concept hits the ‘Ring

Filed under: Motorsports, Performance, Videos, Hatchback, Volvo, Luxury

Scandinavian Touring Car Championship driver Robert Dahlgren drives C30 Polestar concept on the Nurburgring.

It’s been over three years since the Volvo C30 Polestar Concept was unveiled, driven by journalists and, as it turns out, lapped around the Nürburgring with Scandinavian Touring Car Championship driver Robert Dahlgren behind the wheel. For whatever reason, the video of the ‘Ring track session was only published by the tuning company yesterday. (Another discrepancy: Did Polestar’s C30 lose 46 horsepower somewhere along the line? Because the video states that it has 405 hp, while the company’s website quotes 451 hp…)

Whatever the case, the tuned Volvo is a beast, much more so than the similar-looking, 250-hp 2013 Volvo C30 Polestar Limited Edition that was sold last year. With 451 hp (sounds better than 405 hp, doesn’t it?), all-wheel drive, limited-slip differentials front and rear and Öhlins dampers, the Polestar Concept checks all of the right boxes for us.

For some reason, the video, which you can watch below, seems a bit vanilla to us. Perhaps the overly dramatic music takes away from the action and the beautiful sounds of the turbocharged five-cylinder engine?

Continue reading Volvo C30 Polestar Concept hits the ‘Ring

Volvo C30 Polestar Concept hits the ‘Ring originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 05 Aug 2013 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Volvo rolls out exclusive C30 Black Design for Italy… does it look better? [w/poll]

Filed under: Europe, Hatchback, Volvo, Design/Style

2011 Volvo C30 Black Design

2011 Volvo C30 Black Design – Click above for high-res image gallery

The Volvo C30 is a bit of a divisive design. Some love the radical P1800ES-inspired hatch, while others find it awkward. But maybe the brand’s latest special edition can help.

Called the C30 Black Design, it’s limited exclusively to the Italian market and to just 600 examples. What sets it apart is the application of a 3M carbon-look film to the roof, pillars, grille surround and wing mirrors. There’s also 17-inch matte black wheels (upgradable to 18-inchers) and a specially trimmed interior with individualized dedication plaque.

Italian buyers can choose between the 115-horsepower D2 or 150-hp D3 turbo-diesel engines, or a 145-hp 2.0-liter gasoline four, and specify theirs in white, gray or orange. The question is, does the faux-carbon trim make the C30 look better or worse? Cast your vote in our poll below after looking over the gallery.

View Poll

Gallery: 2011 Volvo C30 Black Design

[Source: OmniAuto.it (translated)]

Volvo rolls out exclusive C30 Black Design for Italy… does it look better? [w/poll] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 07 Apr 2011 18:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Volvo considering insanely high $2,100/month lease for C30 Electric

Filed under: Car Buying, Hatchback, Volvo, Electric

volvo c30 electric

Volvo C30 Electric – Click above for high-res image gallery

A trial fleet of around 400 Volvo C30 Electrics is coming, and anyone who wants one had better have an awful big piggy bank. Speaking at a media launch near Indianapolis, IN today, the president of Volvo Car Special Vehicles, Lennart Stegland, said that, while the final price for the car hasn’t been set, Volvo will not sell the EV, but instead offer the car through a three-year lease for around 1,500 Euros. Per month.

1,500 Euros comes out to about $2,129.85 at today’s exchange rates, so if you stick it out for the full 36 months, you get to spend $76,674 to not buy a car. Even worse, Stegland said that Volvo will lose money on the deal. Ouch. Developing electric vehicles for mass production (which, on Volvo’s schedule, will happen sometime around 2013 or so) is more than mildly expensive.

Sure, for the three years you drive the C30 Electric, you’ll probably be quite happy with the car. We certainly were when we drove it last fall and fell for it again in Indiana today (our full write up is coming soon). To convince EV skeptics, Volvo is pushing its traditional safety message pretty hard with the C30 Electric, and we’re sure the car is as safe as can be. We’ll see how powerful this argument is when a hundred C30 Electrics come to the U.S. in the first quarter of 2012. An official lease price hasn’t been set but, as much as we like it, it’ll be hard to justify two-large a month for four-seat hatch.

Gallery: Volvo C30 Electric

Volvo C30 Electric

Volvo considering insanely high $2,100/month lease for C30 Electric originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 24 Mar 2011 16:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sauber unveils new C30 Ferrari-powered F1 challenger

Filed under: Motorsports, Racing

Sauber C30

2011 Sauber-Ferrari C30 – Click above for high-res image gallery

Divorce can be particularly difficult on the children. Sauber found that out the hard way when BMW picked up and left at the end of 2009, leaving the team to fend for itself. With the Bavarian automaker’s support, the Sauber team had turned from a solid midfielder to a front-running challenger, finishing the 2007 championship in second place. Last year, Sauber struggled with reliability issues and sponsor troubles to finish eighth in the constructors’ standings.

If last season was a transition year for Sauber, this year will bring its opportunity to climb back up, and this is the car with which they hope to do so. Called the C30, the new car bears many of the same hallmarks adopted by its rival teams, with a high front nose, more sculpted side-pods and a slender rear section with an integrated diffuser design. It’s engine is provided by Ferrari – just as it was last year and in the pre-BMW years – as is the regenerative braking system.

Perhaps most crucial, however, are the sponsors Sauber has brought on board for this season. By signing Sergio Perez, a promising young Mexican driver who won five GP2 races last season to finish second behind Williams’ Pastor Maldonado, Sauber has recruited a number of Mexican sponsors, including Carlos Slim’s Telmex and Cuervo tequila. So far, however, Sauber has been unable to attract Japanese sponsors to the team despite retaining Perez’ returning wingman Kamui Kobayashi, who stands as the only Japanese driver on the grid, and the only contemporary Japanese driver to make it in F1 without the support of a Japanese automaker.

Will Sauber be able to pull itself back from the brink where it stood this time last year and mount a challenge for a couple of podium positions? Time will tell, but for now you can read more about the new car in the press release after the jump and ogle it in the high-resolution image gallery below.

Gallery: 2011 Sauber-Ferrari C30

[Source: Sauber]

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Sauber unveils new C30 Ferrari-powered F1 challenger originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Feb 2011 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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