The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) recently named the thirty-four 2008 model year vehicles which were given their highest safety rating. Called the Top Safety Pick award, the system is developed to name the best vehicles in the market in terms of protecting its occupants in the unfortunate event of a crash. The IIHS tests vehicles for their adequacy in protecting motorists during, frontal, side, and rear crashes. Vehicles should be rated highly at the said tests before they could be given the Top Safety Pick award.

"For 2008, consumers have the widest selection of vehicles they've ever had that afford the best protection in the most common kinds of crashes," said Adrian Lund, the president of the IIHS. Since safety is one of the major concerns of auto buyers, the Top Safety Pick rating will help them in their decision of which new vehicle to buy.

Lund pointed out that an ESC can be of great help to keep motorists away from accidents. "Vehicles should be designed to provide good occupant protection when crashes occur, but now with ESC we have the possibility of preventing many crashes altogether," he said. "If all vehicles were equipped with ESC, as many as 10,000 fatal crashes could be avoided each year."

ESC comes in various names as automakers have different names for this system. Chevrolet vehicles with StabiliTrak are actually equipped with ESC. StabiliTrak is Chevrolet’s name for the ESC. For Nissan, it goes by the name of Vehicle Dynamic Control. Ford calls it the Advance Trac with Roll Stability Control or RSC.

Some of the vehicles included in the list are the Honda Accord, Audi A3, Subaru Impreza, BMW X5, Toyota Highlander, Toyota Tundra, Ford Taurus, and the Volvo XC90.

Volvo introduces its new smallest car – the 2008 C30 Hatchback.

The 2008 Volvo C30 Hatchback is based on the front-wheel-drive platform of the Volvo S40 sedan. It comes as a European-style package with four bucket-type seats inside, three doors, and a mostly glass rear tailgate. The design makes it look distinctive on American roads, and thanks to the recognizable Volvo front end one would know immediately that it is a product of the Swedish automaker.

The new C30 is shorter in length by 8 inches than an S40 sedan. However, it is longer by 10 inches than Honda’s five-door Fit, which has a starting retail price of $14,545 with manual transmission and non-turbo four cylinder. By weight, the 2008 C30 is heavier by 770 pounds compared to a Fit.

The 2008 C30 is powered by only one type of engine, which is the same turbocharged five cylinder that of S40 sedan. The engine is capable to boost the horsepower up to 227 -- an edge over Honda’s Fit which has 109 horses from a naturally aspirated four cylinder engine. The C30’s maximum torque is 236 foot-pounds at 1,500 rpm and continues to 5,000 rpm.

The federal government has rated the fuel economy of the new C30 with just 19 miles per gallon in city driving and 28 mpg in highway, with V-6 engines. In this aspect, the Fit with manual ranks higher at 28 mpg in city driving and 34 mpg in highway.

As with the interior, the C30 has more of a European feel as its width measures 70.2 inches. The back seat provides a decent legroom as it measures 34.2 inches. The C30 also provides a cargo spade of 20.2 cubic feet when the back seats are folded.

The 2008 Volvo C30 has a starting manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $23,445, including the destination charge, with six-speed manual transmission. The five-speed automatic transmission is more expensive by $1,250, having a price of $24,695. Such price makes the C30 fit with other hatchbacks from European car companies, like the 2008 Volkswagen GTI at $23,370 with manual transmission and turbocharged four cylinder, and the Mini Cooper three-door car at $21,000 with manual transmission and turbocharged four cylinder.

Volvo announced that they will be calling the new unit as the Volvo C30 Efficiency - a variant of the automakers’ newest car model. This variant of the smallest Volvo car will have less greenhouse gas emissions and will have a better fuel economy.

According to the automaker, the C30 Efficiency will consume a gallon of fuel for every 62.8 miles covered. According to the automaker, these are aerodynamics, rolling resistance, gearing and engine efficiency.

The C30 Efficiency’s ride height is also lower compared to its siblings.

The Efficiency’s powerplant produces 104 bhp, 4 less than the conventional C30. According to experts, the C30 Efficiency may be the answer of the Swedish automaker to Volkswagen’s BlueMotion models.

Which Volvo C30 is right for you? Whether you want the efficiency of diesel or petrol, you're bound to find the perfect engine for your lifestyle in our C30 range. Thanks to our cutting-edge engine technology you can enjoy rapid acceleration, high torque, excellent fuel economy, low emissions, a selection of transmissions and much more.