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Volvo has confirmed it will be building a 300bhp, all-wheel drive version of the C30 hatchback.

This will be hottest performance model the Swedish brand has built for years, and the company is expected to ensure its exclusivity by limiting total production to less than 4500 cars over four years.

High British demand for high-performance derivatives means that the UK market has been market to take up to 40 percent of the total output, translating into 1800 cars.

Interesting, but when? What's the release date - pre or post focus RS? I guess it will help to confirm or confound Ford's decision not to put 4wd on the Focus RS given that the cars are so similar in terms of platform and engine... Wonder what the pric will be too - I'm guessing £30-£32k ish?

Was gonna say, that's where the RS Focus' 4wd got to...

Guess Volvo have had much of the drivetrain lying around since the S60R and now get to stick it in the Focus platform.

Can't be much more than a year off, if it's going to be in production for 4 years - C30 has been around for a couple of years.

My own affair with "hot" 3 door hatchbacks began in 1986.   I bought a brand new  bright red  "hot looking"  little 3 door  Toyota Corolla hatchback.  As I recall, it got pretty good gas mileage, and only cost me about $150 a month plus gas and insurance, back in the days when gasoline was around 65 cents a gallon. I think it may have had perhaps 100h.p.

Nowadays, I still love the little runt looking hatchbacks. Call it nostalgia.  I suppose that these cars remind me of my younger days with my old 1986 Toyota Corolla hatchback, whenever I see any hatchback.  I proudly drive my  "tuned" 2008 Volvo C30.   In addition to being a long time loyal fan of 3 door hatchbacks, I  enjoy my own C30's power, performance, comfort and style. Also, there are just way too many boring looking BMW & Mercedes and Lexus sedans running around everywhere I go, it seems. I enjoy having something special that not many other drivers have.  Makes me feel special. Not that I am really, except of course to myself and a few friends and family.   I realize that the BMW's and Mercedes and Lexus's and many other cars are powerful and can perform, are comfortable, luxurious and stylish (if you like boring looking sedans).. For me, those kinds of cars are simply "muy pricey bling bling". Misplaced snob appeal.   Anyway, everyone and his brother seem to own either one of those "bling bling" cars or an equally boring, oversized, overweight, overpriced  gas guzzling SUV.   You won't notice many Volvo C30's around.  Occasionly, a few people do  notice this special little C30 jewel ,but most of those won't even know what the heck they are looking at.  I recall  one driver of a fancy SUV Lexus or Infinity something or other (they all look the same to me) inquired of me, as she and I happened to cross paths  at a local business, if my car was a new Porche model...... Exclusivity..... I like that. I notice that women in general appear to notice my C30 more often than men, although more men than women drive the C30. I caught a few guys looking at the car also. Perhaps they notice the C30 as often as the women, but keep it to themselves.    I had my own C30  "tuned" to around 270 h.p./ 300 tq. in order to get what I consider to be more or less passable performance in terms of acceleration.  It will now go from 0 to 60mph in 5.33 seconds. Stock is listed as 6.5 seconds.  I know that because I purchased a G Tech accelerometer and ran my own tests to check acceleration and compare it against published figures for the C30..  This was my plebian attempt to at least try to keep up with the Jones's in their high performance BMW's  Mercede's and Lexus.s and SUV's.   I may someday need to accelerate away from danger to avoid becoming a  hood ornament on a speeding vehicle should the driver be distracted at 80 miles per hour while talking/texting/surfing/E mailing/navigating/eating/drinking in their Blackberry Blueteeth while on the freeway.  I will be able to safely accelerate out of the danger zone. I consider having extra power available in a smallish vehicle such as the Volvo C30  an act of self preservation, at least on today's busy southern California highways and byways.  As delivered in stock form, the C30 was just way too pokey for me.  The added, enhanced power tune cost me close to the tune of around $5 G's. And worth every penny.   Other vehicles similar in price/class/performance  among the so called "hot" hatchbacks which I considered  purchasing  were the Subaru Impreza WRX AWD, and the Mazdaspeed3, which is FWD.  And the Volkswagen GTI, also FWD.  The first two are "5 door" hatchbacks, which are not my favorite style anyway.    I intentionally shied away from the Volkswagen  GTI,  3 door FWD hatchback due to published build issues. I did not even look at the Audi A3 hatchback because of a previous bad experience with an Audi, plus the Audi A3 is really a "5 door" hatchback, and should properly have been named the Audi A5 since it is a 5 door hatchback, except that Audi already makes the Audi A5, which is a very nice looking coupe.

None of these hatchbacks, 3 door or 5 door will likely ever match  either the boring looking BMW's or Mercedes or Lexus performance, at least in terms of in terms of raw acceleration and power.  But the idea of placing a 300h.p./300tq. power plant in a lithe good handlling 3000 lb  C30  AWD body.........hmmm, let me think.

  Now  that might start to make things a little more interesting and level the playing field a bit. 

Bring it on Volvo!!

 

Insofar as regards the term "super hot", 300 h.p. is actually not so "hot" these days considering the outrageous horsepower numbers that certain vehicles are posting.  In fact 300 h.p. might be considered sort of entry level "hot".  For example, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo @ 291 h.p., and the Subaru WRX STI  5 door hatchback posting 305 h.p..  All Subaru needs do is weld the rear doors shut and voila!.....305h.p. 3 door hatchback!  I note that neither of the aforementioned vehicles 1/4 mile E.T. performance  matches any of the more popular BMW's,  which also sport 300 h.p.   BMW doesn't  make a hatchback, unless the  Z4 coupe, extinct as of 2008, is considered to be a 3 door hatchback. It is also pricey.

Phew. Glad to see the arrival of this car. You see, I thought Volvo was being run by a load of product planners who had no idea how to keep the company in business.

Do you know the status of the C30 300 HP,

 

Thanks!

Do you know the status of the C30 300-hp

I really like this, there is something abot a hot Volvo that is strangely appealing, a real Q car.  Also you will look less of a chav than an aRS driver!  Plus its 4WD so it will be good in the snow!!!!

 volvo is a great car especially with all the horse power. I myself got cheap used vehicles recently to just use for daily chores etc.