New model madness hits Volvo

THANKS to their popularity in Europe, a six-month delay in the local arrival of Volvo’s C30 hatch and S80 sedan will see Volvo Car Australia embark on the busiest launch period it has ever experienced.

Originally due on sale here around August 2006, Volvo’s redesigned S80 luxury sedan flagship hit Aussie street this month ahead of its official release in March, while the Swedish maker’s first modern compact hatch, the all-new C30, goes on sale here by mid-April ahead of its national launch in May.

While the second-generation S80 line-up launched this month with (front-drive) 2.4-litre D5 diesel and (all-wheel drive) 4.4-litre V8 firepower and will be bolstered by a 3.2-litre inline petrol six option by late March, the same 136kW/400Nm common-rail direct-injection five-cylinder turbo-diesel D5 engine will expand the C30 hatch range in October.

Volvo’s first V8 and the new D5 engine debuted locally in the facelifted XC90 SUV range late last year, and now comprise around 20 and 60 per cent of XC90 sales respectively.

Pricing for the C30 line-up will be announced ahead of its official local-spec Australian debut at the Melbourne motor show on March 2 (the C30 made its Australian debut in LHD Euro-spec guise at the Sydney motor show last October) and is expected to include a mid-$30,000 entry price for the S variant that will also be delayed until October.

Reflecting the S40/V50 range, C30 variants available from launch will include the 2.4 LE and T5, mated to five and six-speed manual transmissions respectively, or an optional five-speed automatic.

The D5 variant will also be available with a five-speed auto (rather than the XC90 and S80’s six-speed self-shifter) and as such will deliver peak torque of 350Nm – instead of the XC90/S80’s 400Nm.

VCA expects the diesel take-up to be far more modest in the C30 range, which is forecast to attract between 500 and 600 sales per annum.

The same 136kW/350Nm D5/5A powertrain will become available in Volvo’s compact S40 sedan and V50 wagon models from April, as announced at the Brisbane motor show in February.

Making it a bumper month, April is also when deliveries of the second-generation C70 will take place for customers who order now, with the sleek coupe-convertible proving a hit locally since its August release.

What’s coming from Volvo:
Redesigned S80 D5 and V8 sedan	March
S80 3.2 AWD variant	late March
XC90 Sport/Executive lines	April
XC90 3.2 AWD variant	April
S40 sedan D5 diesel variant	April
V50 wagon D5 diesel variant	April
All-new C30 LE and T5 hatch	mid-April
C30 S and D5 hatch variants	October
Redesigned XC70 SUV	December
S40/V50 sedan/wagon facelift	2008
All-new XC60 SUV	2008