The all female designed Volvo C30

It's been designed completely by women you know," said the Volvo representative as I slide into the two-seater C30 hatchback - and even at five foot nine I struggled to get in.

The exterior of the car would suit an up-and-coming architect, keen to show off one of the sleekest and most unusually shaped vehicles on the automotive market. The model I tested came with a bullet-silver metallic finish which elegantly swooped down from back to front showing off even though the engine was still switched off.

If the exterior was an architect's dream the interior is equally impressive with a finish any designer would be proud of. The leather seats, steering wheel, and gear stick are as slick as when you turn on the tuneful 230 horsepower engine. But this is no ordinary Volvo. When you ask someone to imagine the Swedish brand they immediately say ‘safety', ‘size' and ‘family comfort'. This new model is far from any of those, albeit that it is comfortable when smoothly slipping past the dawdling traffic around you.

Even Volvo's chief designer Simon Lamarre, says so. "The C30 is not for people with kids; it's a different kind of a Volvo for a different kind of customer."

Volvo has injected its new and exciting model with both style and speed. Its sloping rear end bears a shape unique to modern Volvos but the C30 comes with a twist. Its sporty short overhangs and aggressive, fast-forward stance give it an alluring presence on the road. People will stop and stare as it drives by, it's that different to anything anyone's ever seen.

With a price tag of around US$23,000, the C30 isn't cheap but you always pay more for designer beauty. The women that spent endless hours looking for such an original shape have done themselves seriously proud.

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