Powered by inline-four and straight-five engines, the C30 is a variant of the Volvo S40/V50/C70 range, sharing the same Ford C1/Volvo P1 platform.

[2] Its safety features included forward collision warning, blind spot monitor and alert, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, flashing brake lights during hard braking, and headlights that follow the curvature of the road as the car turns.

[3] The SCC was first unveiled at the 2001 Detroit Auto Show, then in autumn 2001 at the Seville International Airport in southern Spain.

It includes a 2.5L turbo engine (B5254T) rated at 300 PS (221 kW; 296 hp) and 420 N⋅m (310 lb⋅ft), Haldex AWD, Heico Volution V 8x18-in sport-alloy wheels with Toyo tires, and 4-caliper disk brakes with 320 mm (12.6 in) front rotors.

[7][8][9] HEICO HS3 D5 includes a 5-cylinder diesel engine rated 205 PS (151 kW; 202 hp) and 400 N⋅m (295 lb⋅ft), a body kit with front and rear bumper spoilers, side skirts, and fender flares; 8.5x20-inch VOLUTION V. wheels in Titan colour, a height-adjustable suspension kit, 4-tip stainless steel exhaust, 4-piston sports brake kit, a pedal set, foot rest, hand-brake lever, and door pins, all in aluminum; seats and door panels in two-tone upholstery.

It includes body-kit in "XC off-road look", 30mm raised suspension, VOLUTION X 8x18-inch wheels in Titan colour, custom made TOYO TIRES R888 semi-slicks with HEICO SPORTIV 'helmet" logo, increased engine power to 250 PS (184 kW; 247 hp) and 360 N⋅m (266 lb⋅ft) The vehicles were unveiled at the 2006 Essen Motor Show.

[15] The C30's interior is similar to the S40 and V50; sharing the majority of parts including the instrument panel, 'floating' centre stack and steering wheel.

[18] Available audio systems included: On the High Performance and Premium Sound, it is possible to play CDs with music in MP3 and WMA formats, and they are fitted with an extra AUX connector for connecting auxiliary equipment such as a portable MP3 player.

The 2008 model year brings some minor changes, mostly adapting the interior to the facelifted S40/V50 and including as standard an Aux audio socket.

The 2009 model year moved the Volvo badge from the hatch handle to the glass area above it, enlarged the font and increased the space between the letters.

The C30 was granted its highest rating of "good" in front, side, rear and roof strength tests and has Electronic Stability Control as standard equipment to receive the award.

The Volvo C30 has a patented front and rear structure using four different grades of steel to absorb and redistribute impact energy around the body of the coupe.

[22] The car also uses Volvo's Intelligent Driver Information System (IDIS) which continuously monitors the car's preemptive systems such as steering wheel angle, pedal depressions, and overall factors that help the vehicle's computer to decide if the driver is busy or distracted merging or turning, and will then accordingly delay certain data or alerts that are unimportant.

[23] The C30 has been criticized because in an effort to make it more responsive in curves it has become less reliable on ice or snow where the rear end can more easily lose its grip compared to other Volvo models.

Other changes include new body colour (Flamenco Red), Cars with Volvo On Call have the option of activating the cabin heater remotely via SMS text messaging.

It included a choice of four body colours (Black Sapphire, Titanium Grey, Orinoco Blue and Passion Red), Sport Body kit, off-black Flex-tech seat upholstery, cushions and backrests trimmed in contrasting crème-colored leather, blue-face instrument cluster, center console with subtle circular patterns and aluminum inlay, wrapped steering with aluminum inlays, sport pedals, sport shifter, floor mats, 18" Atreus wheels, Sirius Satellite Radio with a 6-month introductory subscription.

Other options include 5-speed Geartronic transmission, DVD-based navigation system with real time traffic, power driver's seat, Climate Package, power glass moonroof, bi-xenon headlights, Serapis alloy wheels and Dynaudio premium sound system.

It included DI-NOC film (3M) carbon fiber surface finish at roof, side frames, the frame of the grille and door mirrors, Fondmetal 17-inch rims in matte black (optional Fondmetal 17-inch rims in matte black), a choice of 5 body colours ( bianco ghiacciato(white), grigio titanio(anthracite), argento electrico metallizzato, orange flame metallizzato (orange flame metallic), argento metallizzato).

It included increase engine power via increasing airflow into the combustion chambers and advancing spark timing, 17-inch Styx alloy wheels in matte black, Polestar badges on the rear and sides of the vehicle, Rebel Blue body colour, leather seating surfaces in a choice of Off-Black or two-tone Off-Black and Calcite colour, C30 T5 R-Design Premium Plus equipment (power glass sunroof, power driver's seat with memory, soft loadcover, auto-dimming rearview mirror with compass, power passenger's seat, LED daytime running lights, Keyless Drive and active dual Xenon headlights), optional Platinum trim (Dolby Pro Logic II Surround Sound, 10 loudspeakers rated 650 watts, navigation system with real time traffic, remote control and map care plus Sirius/XM satellite radio), color-coordinated body kit, front grille R-Design logo, R-Design watch dial instrument cluster, unique aluminum inlays, R-Design sport steering wheel and sport pedals; standard rain sensor windshield wipers and headlight washers, optional Climate Package (heated front seats, Electronic Climate Control (ECC) and Interior Air Quality System (IAQS)), spring stiffness increased by 30 percent, mono-tube design dampers with 20 percent increased low-speed damping, stiffer bushings and a 10-percent-quicker steering ratio.

It included 2.5L Turbo engine with larger intercooler and KK & K 26 turbo, modified pistons, conrods and inlet camshaft, rated at 405 PS (298 kW; 399 hp) and 510 N⋅m (376 lb⋅ft); Haldex AWD with Quaife mechanical differential brake front and rear, Öhlins shock absorbers and springs with 2.25 ratio steering rack, Brembo 380 mm front brake discs with six piston calipers, Brembo 330 mm rear brake discs with four piston calipers, BBS FI 19x8,19-inch wheels with Pirelli P Zero 235/35 ZR 19 tires, racing seats with Ternsjö leather and four point harness, aerodynamic body derived from the STCC race car.

0-60 - 3.9s Brakes: Brembo Front 380mm Discs 6 Piston Calipers Brembo Rear 330mm Discs 4 Piston Calipers Wheels: BBS FI 19x8.75" Interior: Recaro Seats with Ternsjö Leather Exterior: Aerodynamics Derived from the Polestar STCC Race Car Colour: Polestar Blue Volvo C30 with series-connected Range Extender is based on C30 Electric with a three-cylinder combustion engine producing 60 PS (44 kW; 59 hp) installed under the rear load compartment floor.

Volvo C30 with parallel-connected Range Extender includes a turbocharged three-cylinder combustion engine rated at 190 PS (140 kW; 187 hp) at the rear and a 40-litre fuel tank, six-speed automatic transmission.

An updated prototype (with complete interior and full instrumentation, and enhanced battery packaging) was unveiled in the 2010 North American International Auto Show.

[48] A Volvo C30 Electric was also part of the One Tonne Life project in which a family was given the task of living as climate-smart as possible for a period of six months.

[48] In August 2012 Volvo ordered a second supply of battery packs from EnerDel to build an internal test fleet together with Siemens.

[67] In the One Tonne Life project, the Lindell family lived in a temporary home from A-hus and drove Volvo C30 Electric.

[69] Volvo Polestar driver Robert Dahlgren won the 2010 Scandinavian Touring Car Championship.

[73] Polestar Racing entered 2011 WTCC season with one Volvo C30 DRIVe racer driven by Robert Dahlgren.

"[77] As part of the US C30 launch, Volvo C30's configuration site featured a fluctuating price quote for the identically equipped vehicles.

[29] In Stephenie Meyer's popular Twilight novel series, it is suggested that Edward drives a "shiny" and "silver" Volvo S60-R, a fast sleeper car that doesn't call attention to the Cullen family's wealth.