News: Volvo ending production of C30 in December

Re: Volvo ending production of C30 in December

Yup. I was talking with a middle manager from Minnesota about mid-range luxury cars, and mentioned the Audi A7. The mere mention of the word "hatchback" turned her expression from interest to total disgust.

the ironic thing is, lift it a few inches, give it body cladding in a shade of gray and she'd probably be all over it as a "sport crossover suv" :eyeroll:
 
Yup. I was talking with a middle manager from Minnesota about mid-range luxury cars, and mentioned the Audi A7. The mere mention of the word "hatchback" turned her expression from interest to total disgust.

Which is why you have to say liftback or sportback.

Sportback is probably better.

Going back into the segment discussion is the A7 really mid-range luxury? It starts at $60,000 which is actually less then I thought for some reason. I guess it is mid-range but the upper end of the mid-range luxury. Just looking at available inventory in the area they seem to top out above $80,000 before even getting into the S7 sub-model so I would classify it is a bridge car. It crosses over from mid-range luxury to the bottom rung of high end luxury.

I am excluding Bentley, Rolls, etc. from the discussion. Those are more exotic luxury and throw off the whole curve of the discussion.
 
To most people, even on the coasts...hatchbacks regardless of content/"hidden" hatchback design (see OG Kia Spectra, Mazda 6, new Mondeo) = cheap stripper car due to the fact that they WERE the cheap stripper models in a compact car's lineup in the 70's and 80's. Mainstream hatches were tried even then (Dodge Lancer/Plymouth Caravelle, Corsica Hatch) but failed due to the "cheap car to be slightly embarrassed about" image of the smaller models. The sedan bodystyle feels more "formal" and "upscale" to these people.

As soon as they see that hatch swing up it's an instant interest killer. Shame.
You're bang-on about that one. My wife bristles at the thought of a hatchback because she decries them as being "cheap."

Personally, I'm more annoyed be her (and everyone else I know) opinion that wagons are "totally uncool" and just not an option, and they still conjure up images of wood-panelled American leviathans from before any of these people were even born! Which is a damn shame, because there are now so many upscale, premium brands that offer really nice wagon versions of their cars in North America. I hope they garner enough sales that they don't become extinct for a second time.
 
And I bet your wife is among the same group that will drive a mini van with what really is a hatchback despite not wanting a hatchback.
 
You're bang-on about that one. My wife bristles at the thought of a hatchback because she decries them as being "cheap."

Personally, I'm more annoyed be her (and everyone else I know) opinion that wagons are "totally uncool" and just not an option, and they still conjure up images of wood-panelled American leviathans from before any of these people were even born! Which is a damn shame, because there are now so many upscale, premium brands that offer really nice wagon versions of their cars in North America. I hope they garner enough sales that they don't become extinct for a second time.
Pfft wagons are totally uncool.
 
And I bet your wife is among the same group that will drive a mini van with what really is a hatchback despite not wanting a hatchback.
Actually, not at all. She's terrified at the thought of owning a minivan (so am I, but for fear of becoming beige). She's not a car person, but she knows I am, and I can't complain... she does tend to get swayed by my passion for teh autos.

Pfft wagons are totally uncool.
Go munch some carpet, lesbo :p
 
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I like the C30, until I see the back. That hatch is so disgusting. Otherwise, it looks like a great car.
 
I like the C30, until I see the back. That hatch is so disgusting. Otherwise, it looks like a great car.

That hatch is amazing IMO and a nod to the past.

I just went to the lolvo website to try and see if i could grab a photo that matched the one I see on campus and then saw this:



:| Are you fucking kidding me?! It comes in orange?! I fucking love orange + it looks good on it...and now need one of these in my life stat.
 
Hmm, Rick has found another don't get this one ever. Who would have thunk it?
 
There's a similar phenomenon over here, but different and more restrictive. For her sixteenth birthday, Tammy Trust-Fund gets a used 3 series, no more than five years old. Nothing else. Her brother Tommy Trust-Fund gets a brand-new V6 Mustang. Daddy, like all other executives in the Finance department, drives an A6. If Mommy works for a living, she drives a Prius in some ghastly color not found in nature. If she doesn't, it's a Range Rover. Grandpa drives a Mercedes if his stock portfolio is in good shape, a Buick if he's trying to economize. If what you were talking about was what Volvo was trying to replicate, they again misjudged the American market.

hah in new york, I dont know anyone with somewhat wealthy parents get a used bmw. Most girls get a brand new C-Class/328i/A4 while alot of the boys get a 335i/G37; also brand new. Don't even get me started with the 20 year olds I know with brand new M3s, C63s, and Porsche Cayennes.

Back to the C30, like a lot of people have stated previously, I think its a really cool car but I would never buy one. It doesn't make any sense in any country when you can buy a GTI for around the same price.
 
Back to the C30, like a lot of people have stated previously, I think its a really cool car but I would never buy one. It doesn't make any sense in any country when you can buy a GTI for around the same price.
You can buy a Golf GTI for around the same price as the C30 here, people still buy the C30. It's a luxury hatchback rather than a sports hatchback, therefore has a different market. It's a car people buy for style rather than performance, even the T5 isn't really a hot hatch.
 
Didnt notice before but the C30 is already gone from the website and build-your-car so it seems new orders are already stopped. So sadly no colour range for you rick.
 
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Re: Volvo ending production of C30 in December

Didnt notice before but the C30 is already gone from the website and build-your-car so it seems new orders are already stopped. So sadly no colour range for you rick.

It's ok. I couldn't find the color (it's like a creamy gray color...) on the us site either. But i did find it on Google:

Jok2d.jpg


Pretty sure this is the color.
 
hah in new york, I dont know anyone with somewhat wealthy parents get a used bmw. Most girls get a brand new C-Class/328i/A4 while alot of the boys get a 335i/G37; also brand new. Don't even get me started with the 20 year olds I know with brand new M3s, C63s, and Porsche Cayennes.

Back to the C30, like a lot of people have stated previously, I think its a really cool car but I would never buy one. It doesn't make any sense in any country when you can buy a GTI for around the same price.


It is a whole other level of money in that area compared to most of the rest of the country. I see that up here sometimes but not all the time. I have sold plenty of one year old BMWs and Mercs to kids just out of HS for their first college car. I have also sold families in that same situation 10 year old Volvos. The 10 year old Volvo makes more sense.

You can buy a Golf GTI for around the same price as the C30 here, people still buy the C30. It's a luxury hatchback rather than a sports hatchback, therefore has a different market. It's a car people buy for style rather than performance, even the T5 isn't really a hot hatch.

See markets matter Spectre.

It's ok. I couldn't find the color (it's like a creamy gray color...) on the us site either. But i did find it on Google:

Jok2d.jpg


Pretty sure this is the color.

That is Cosmic white and it is an interesting color but the last year it was offered was 2011 MY I think. The picture you actually posted is one of the launch C30s. All Volvo dealers got at least one C30 in that color combination as a C30 T5 2.0 and most were Autos. You could change them to manuals but most dealers did not. The other Launch car was a Barrents blue C30 1.0 with a Swedish flag roof decal.


The other color is Orange Flame and it was first offered in 2011 MY.
 
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I saw a guy with a dark grey R-Design, 6-speed C30 with red fender decals (two stripes). I complimented him on his choice. His response was: "Do you want to buy it?"
:lol:
 
You can buy a Golf GTI for around the same price as the C30 here, people still buy the C30. It's a luxury hatchback rather than a sports hatchback, therefore has a different market. It's a car people buy for style rather than performance, even the T5 isn't really a hot hatch.

Thats very interesting, because I would think that the GTI would have a much more luxurious feel to it. I say think because I will admit I've never actually sat in a C30, but when I last sat in a GTI it felt nearly identical in quality to the last generation Audi A4.

I do see how people would buy it just for pure looks though. There isint anything else quite like it on the market.
 
I think the back is the best bit.

I'm with you and rick on that one as well, makes it look very distinctive in a good way.

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It is a whole other level of money in that area compared to most of the rest of the country.
It's not just money but also geography. Most people with money tend to live in Manhattan, which is an expensive area on its own but also one where a car can be a detriment, since parking is a pain and many times on a sat night even paid parking lots are full forget about streets. So people tend to not have a car and take cab/black car service places so when someone buys a car they REALLY want a car and in that case most who can afford it go brand new route, since it's a status/want thing.
 
Volvo ending production of C30 in December

I like the C30, until I see the back. That hatch is so disgusting. Otherwise, it looks like a great car.

The rear hatch is actually what makes the styling cool, so you're missing the point
 
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