Is Volvo Leaving Its Comfort Zone?

Volvo’s design of their cars in the past can beThe car is the first outing of the company in the
summed up in one word - boxy. The past models ofpremium compact car market and this car is going
the company known for producing safe cars can beagainst tough competition in the class. Its competition
easily identified by their boxy appearance. The reasonincludes the Audi A3, the Mini Cooper, the Mazda3 and
behind the design concept is to ensure the safety ofthe Volkswagen GTI. The company is counting on the
the car’s occupants, thus both the body and thecar’s stylish exterior design to get a large portion of
chassis are made tough to the point that it does notthe market in its class, after all, the safety of the car is
command high aesthetic value. But the trend has beenalready a given. The manufacturer’s strong selling
changing for the past ten years - the company haspoint is the car’s performance level enhanced by
now been producing cars which bear no resemblanceVolvo performance chips and various high
to the boxy designs of the past models. This is doneperformance parts.
without sacrificing the safety standards of the carsThe car’s design have already received much
being produced.praise from the automotive industry and this can only
The evolution in the design of the company’s masshelp the company’s bid for a share in the luxury
produced cars is due to its goal of catching thecompact car market. The design has been touted
attention of younger buyers which value the good“some of the best small-car architecture in the
looks of a car as much as its interior designing andworld right now” by James Sanfilippo who is the
performance level. The company’s top designer,executive vice-president and senior analyst with AMCI,
Simon Lamarre, is continuing the company’s drivean auto consultant which is based in Michigan. This
to produce stylish cars which are aimed at theshows that the entire decade of the company’s
Generation Y consumers which are categoricallyefforts to develop a design that will attract the
those buyers between 25 and 35 years of age. Mr.attention of younger buyers was not in vain. The car is
Lamarre is the genius behind the company’sdesigned to hook up its prospective younger clientele
newest addition to the company’s lineup, theto be loyal to the brand thus increasing the chances of
compact sedan Volvo C30. The car was recentlythe company’s earning more profits for the
unveiled at the Montreal International Auto Show foroncoming future.
which the Ford Motor Company owned brand wasThe step made by the company outside its comfort
absent for the past couple of years.zone is aimed to make profit - a feat they have not
The Volvo C30 was the star of the company’sbeen able to accomplish in the past years. It is hoped
show at the auto show. It has been created andthat a new generation of car buyers will be turned on
displayed as a two-door hatchback with an exteriorby the stylish designs of the newer models and its
design that does not show any “boxiness” inalready impressive safety standards.
contrast to the past models of the car manufacturer.