The eye-grabbing new Volvo C70 will be launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. However, the Swedish newcomer will be neither a two-door nor cabriolet, but a very fashionable coupé-convertible!

The eye-grabbing new Volvo C70 will be launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. However, the Swedish newcomer will be neither a two-door nor cabriolet, but a very fashionable coupé-convertible!


"Our all-new C70 is one of the first open-top cars in the premium segment with both a steel roof and space for four adults. That's why we expect to more than double our sales compared with the first-generation C70," Volvo Cars president and chief executive Hans-Olov Olsson said this week.


The development and manufacture of the all-new C70, which is equipped with a three-piece automatically retracting steel roof, is the result of a joint venture between Volvo and Italian coachbuilder Pininfarina. It is not the first four-seater with a folding hard top on the market (the Peugeot 307 CC and Renault Mégane II CC are already available on the local market), but certainly the most high-profile contender of its type and a competitor to the Mercedes-Benz CLK.


"We've created an attractive convertible which, at the touch of a button, converts into an equally elegant coupé. The customer gets two cars in one. Both with space for four adults," Olsson added.


As can be seen from these pictures, the front and rear halves of the elegantly-sloped C70 look almost symmetrical when viewed from the side. With the roof down, the car's horizontal shoulder lines taper down to the surprisingly sharply-styled front end, giving the open-topped car an almost arrow-like silhouette.


"We decided to start with the coupé design. When we were satisfied with the result, we made the necessary adjustments to create a convertible out of the coupé lines. Our experience tells us this is the best way of going about it," Fedde Talsma, design manager for the new C70, was quoted as saying.


The loss of body rigidity (through lack of a fixed roof) has been compensated for by structural reinforcements. The C70's body structure, which comprises "a carefully designed network of beams", provides torsional rigidity that is twice as high as that of the previous C70 model. With the roof up, torsional rigidity increases by a further 10 to 15 per cent, Volvo claims.


In terms of additional safety equipment, the new C70 has door-mounted Inflatable Curtains (ICs), which inflate upwards to provide head protection during side-impact collisions.


The curtains then deflate slowly to help provide additional protection if the car rolls over, the manufacturer claims.


The new model will initially be powered by in-line, five-cylinder engines topped by the 162-kW turbocharged T5, which produces maximum torque of 320 N.m. There will also be 103 kW and 125 kW normally-aspirated 2,4-litre engines.


The new C70 will be launched in South Africa during 2006, during which a 132 kW 2,4-litre, five-cylinder diesel engine will also be added to the range's international lineup.

Original article from Car