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It appears that someone at Volvo Media’s web team made a slight mistake. Someone tipped us off that there was a Volvo C30 shot on the Spanish section of the Volvo PR website. To my surprise, there was a link to a press release about the new C30 Design Concept dated January 4th, and accompanied by a photo. I checked the U.S. site, and sure enough, nothing. Oops..someone is in trouble. So, here is the first real photo of the Volvo C30 Design Concept, that someone stumbled onto by accident.

The C30 Design Concept make its debut at the 2006 North American International Auto Show (Detroit Auto Show) in 2 weeks, followed by a production model debut at the 2006 Paris Motor Show, held in September. The C30 is scheduled to go on sale in the U.S. during the summer of 2007.

Since there was no note of an embargo, we decided to run the photo and press release.

Full press release text after the jump.

The Volvo C30 Project – zeros in on dynamic customers with active, diverse lifestyles

With the new Volvo C30 Design Concept, Volvo Car Corporation gives the world a taste of the upcoming C30 – which has its sights set on giving a young, dynamic customer group its “own” Volvo.
Los Angeles, California (January 4, 2006) - “We know there are large numbers of fairly young, successful people who are attracted by our brand, but who still cannot find a model in our range that exactly matches their taste and lifestyle. The Volvo C30 Design Concept was developed precisely for this group,” said Fredrik Arp, President and CEO of Volvo Cars.

From its inception, the Volvo C30 Project was focused on one primary demographic group: Young urbanites with accelerating careers and intensive, active lifestyles. Customer clinics allowed these people to voice their opinions and give their views on the car’s design and technical content.

For an active lifestyle, wherever you live
Volvo focused primarily on singles and on couples without children, who regard the car as a tool for pursuing their hectic lifestyles. When they buy clothes, decorate their homes or purchase home electronics, design and brand name are particularly important factors – and they choose their cars according to the same criteria.

“These customers move in a fast paced world between their homes, work, meetings, the gym and their favorite restaurants and nightclubs in town. Many of them describe their ideal mode of transport as nimble car designed to get them where they want to go. They focus on attractive design and entertaining driving properties and rarely have more than two people in the car,” explains Håkan Abrahamsson, C30 Project Director.

Design inspiration from the SCC
An athletic, sporty design with two doors, four individual seats and lines inspired by the Volvo Safety Concept Car, makes the forthcoming production model a keen contender in a segment where competition for customers is razor-sharp.

“The Safety Concept Car (SCC) heralded a bold design language for Volvo. Its roots could be found in the classic proportions of the P1800 ES, but there was no denying that it was also a Volvo of the future. As it turned out, the SCC is an excellent reflection of our ambition for the C30 project,” said Håkan Abrahamsson.

Unveiling in Paris in 2006
The Volvo C30 Design Concept, which will be unveiled at the Detroit motor show, offers a taste of what’s to come in the forthcoming production model. The wraps will come off the all-new Volvo C30 at the Paris motor show in September 2006, and the car will be successively introduced throughout the world starting at the end of the year. The car is scheduled to go on sale in the U.S. in the summer of 2007.

“The all-new Volvo C30 plays an important role in the hunt for sales growth to 600,000 cars a year. It is vital that we broaden our model range so that customers with an active urban lifestyle can choose a Volvo with the right appeal as early as possible,” commented Arp.