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Exclusive news from Detroit:
Volvo
11 January 2005

Volvo plans to introduce a new small car in 2006 to sit beneath the S40 in its range, and at the Detroit motor show it gave a brief on-screen preview of what the car will look like.

Part coupe and part hatchback, it will be badged C30 and use a shortened version of the Ford Focus/Volvo S40 platform. Volvo said it will accommodate a wide variety of petrol, diesel and dual-fuel engines.

No pictures were released but it draws heavily on the 3CC concept unveiled at Detroit, as well as on the SCC concept of four years ago.

Volvo is especially proud of the 3CC's crash protection structures considering its overall length – it is 200mm shorter than an S40. In a frontal accident the driver’s seat, the front passenger seat, the steering column and parts of the instrument panel all move forward, while the electronic dampers adjust themselves according to the impact forces.

Some, if not all, of this is likely to appear on the production C30, although the 3CC’s unusual two-plus-one interior – which leaves room for one adult or two small children in the rear – will not

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