2008 Volvo C30 R-Design for Sale in Corte Madera, California

A halo car is an automaker's most desirable model. It's meant to bring new customers into dealerships with the hope that they'll buy another car in the lineup. It's often a test bed for performance technology, and it's usually inserted at the top of the company's lineup. A halo car shows what a company is capable of, and it can change an automaker's overall reputation.

With the release of the 2008 Volvo C30, Volvo is offering what one company executive calls a reverse halo car. Although this two-door hatchback comes in at the bottom of Volvo's lineup, Volvo hopes it can bring new people into its dealerships and give the company a sportier reputation.

The C30 is a new model for Volvo, but it shares most of its mechanicals with Volvo's compact S40 sedan and V50 wagon. While similar to these cars, the C30 has considerably less standard equipment, allowing Volvo to make it its lowest priced car.