Volvo C30 gallery

Volvo has given its C30 a "fresh, self-assured design" to give it a good dose of presence and bold styling.

"It's a street smart Swede ? sexy, solid and full of attitude," says Volvo. They have our vote there.

The new C30 will hit South African shores in early 2010 and will include a bold accessory styling kit with foglamp decor, front skidplate, side scuff plates and a rear skidplate.

The T5 model gets two 90 mm tail pipes in polished stainless steel.

On top of the more superficial items, there's an optional, stiffer sport chassis that sharpens handling and response by 10 percent, Volvo claims.

Volvo C30 product manager Daniel Backman says: "Since its introduction in 2006, the Volvo C30 has become highly appreciated for its unique appearance. This applies in particular to the rear. With the new front, it feels as though everything has fallen neatly into place and that the car's entire personality has been boosted to an entirely new level."

The entire front end has been redesigned to give it a radically new appearance that separates the C30 from the S40 and V50 models.

Most distinctive is the new, larger badge and air intake, with a grille pattern that is exclusive to the model.

At the rear, the black plastic has been replaced with colour panels, along with a few styling tweaks.

The cabin has been refreshed with new colour combination options.

Maria Uggla, chief colour and trim designer for Volvo, says: "We know that a large proportion of C30 customers want to make detailed interior choices ? we have also focused on making it easier for customers to match exterior design elements with interior trim in an attractive way ? "

Local models will have three engine options: