Volvo has issued a recall for just 13 of its 2011 S40 models and while the number of vehicles affected may be small, the issue is not. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the cars may have a crack in a support member found the engine bay, which could reduce the vehicle’s ability to withstand an impact in the case of a crash.

Volvo will inspect the affected vehicles and if no crack is detected no action is required, however, if a crack is found, Volvo will replace the car with similar model.

Volvo will notify customers by April 15th and those with questions are asked to call the automaker’s customer care center at 1-800-458-1552.

Volvo is searching for 13 vehicles in particular (7 in the U.S., 4 in Canada and 2 in Puerto Rico). If you think you might own one, Volvo has released a list of the VIN numbers which you can find after the jump:

Sometimes, it takes a racing pro to get through to teens about safe driving practices. And that’s what Andy Pilgrim is doing in his quest to educate new drivers about the dangers of distracted driving.

In recent years, K-PAX Racing has successfully entered an S60 in the GT Class of the World Challenge Touring Car championship, winning both the driver’s and teams championship in 2010.

As the sponsor behind the Volvo Ocean Race, the Swedish luxury automaker is celebrating with the release of several custom models for the European market.

While Volvo has produced some attractive cars in its lifetime, perhaps the most loved and admired is the P1800. While first prototypes of this car hit the roads in 1960, eager buyers had to wait another year to get their hands on this beautiful 2+2 coupe. Interesting point to note, while the prototypes were built by the Italian coachbuilder Frua, initial production vehicles were built by Jensen Motors in U.K.

While Volvo was apparently set to discontinue North American sales of all station wagons – arguably the vehicle they built their reputation on – in favor of crossovers. But that looks like it will change starting in 2012, with the launch of their V60 plug-in hybrid.

Volvo fans can rejoice now that the famous station wagon variant, the V60, is back (in North America), but it couldn’t be further from the rugged, mechanically simple station wagons of the past.

Volvo has unveiled a plug-in diesel hybrid version of its V60 wagon ahead of the Geneva Auto Show, which promises to do for fuel spending what Atkins did for bread consumption.

The diesel hybrid takes Volvo’s 2.4-liter inline-five turbodiesel, pumping out 215 horsepower and 324 lb-ft of torque and adds an electric motor to the back wheels: a 70-horsepower motor powered by a 12 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, controlling what Volvo calls the Electric Rear Axle Drive (ERAD).

With two engines and AWD, the V60 hybrid can run on “Pure” mode for 32 miles on just the electric motor. With “Hybrid” mode activated, it’s good for a range of 746 miles, and in full-attack “Power” mode the V60’s two engines hustle to 60mph in 6.9 seconds. That’s what 472 lb-ft of torque combined will do for a family hauler.

The V60 hybrid will debut in Geneva in a few weeks. Click the jump for video of the diesel-hybrid.

The national character infused in a car is one of the more endearing traits enthusiasts tout when discussing automobiles. Traditionally, American cars, with their big V8s, soft suspensions and non-existent handling, were made for Interstate highway cruising. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Alfas and Fiats of Italy are compact, nimble and zippy, the better to navigate the autostradas with their sharp corners and treacherous elevation changes.

K-Pax Racing has fielded a team of Volvos in the SCCA’s World Challenge season with considerable success over the past few years and have announced they continue to do so in 2011.

Each spring, a jury of 66 automotive journalists from around the globe get together to pick a winner for the World Car of the Year title. The journalists are asked to vote by secret ballot, selecting the winner from 10 cars that have made the final cut.

Volvo‘s new S60 is an absolutely wonderful car, and our review (coming soon) will reflect that. We’re not the only ones either, as praise for the car has been unanimous. While there’s often a disconnect between what auto journalists like and what consumers actually buy.

Volvo will strive to be the first to market with a diesel plug-in hybrid, debuting a near production ready V60 wagon at the Geneva Auto Show in March. The V6 Plug-in Hybrid will get a claimed 1.9 l/100 km says Volvo, which translates to an incredible 124-mpg.

Volvo will reduce the number of models sold in the United States as part of their effort to bump up sales. While Volvo currently sells nine models in the United States, three of them are expected to be cut.

Not to worry, the new CEO of Volvo Stephen Jacoby has heard your pleas and is coming to your rescue. He has now hinted that the new V60 might come to the U.S.A. perhaps as an “enthusiast vehicle.”

Although Volvo is traditionally associated with all things Swedish, but Volvo’s new chairman is hoping to put down serious roots in China as well.

Based on the success of the new-ish XC60 crossover, Volvo will look to move further downmarket with a rival for vehicles like the BMW X1 and Audi Q3.

A recall has been announced for four late model Volvo vehicles due to an issue with the power seats that could post a safety risk.

Despite the American introduction of diesel engines from most major European brands, Volvo remains non-committal to the prospect of diesel powertrains in America.

NHTSA has announced that just over 6,000 2011 Volvo s will be recalled due to an issue that could see a fuel cutoff engaged due to the engine computer’s parameter being too sensitive.

Volvo‘s CEO Stefan Jacoby is calling for a new focus for Volvo, and wants to see the Swedish automaker abandon its position as a premium brand meant to compete with Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

With the holidays quickly approaching, now’s the time to starting planning for all those road trips you’ll be making to see friends and family. And nobody knows the benefits of planning for a road tip like Irv Gordon.

Gordon, a 70-year old retired science teacher from Long Island, is known for his 1966 Volvo P1800 that took Guinness Book of World Records honors as the highest mileage non-commercial vehicle driven by a single owner (2.8 million miles).

He encourages drivers to be alert on the roads this holiday season. “The holiday season means more people are driving to places to which they are not familiar and are in their cars for lengths of time to which they are not conditioned,” said Gordon. “Planning and diligence are key to ensuring a safe holiday road trip and that families reach the destination we all seek, a Happy New Year.”

See after the jump for five tips for safe holiday road trip driving from the master of road trips:

Volvo CEO Stefan Jacoby announced a pilot project that will see 1,000 plug-in hybrid models based on the C30 hatchback. The vehicles will be offered in unspecified European and Chinese locations, as well as California.

Consumer Reports has released its latest reliability study and while little has changed in respect to the industry-leading Asian brands, domestic automakers are catching up. Toyota and Honda each recorded the highest scores in five vehicle segments in the 2010 Annual Auto Survey, while General Motors posted considerable improvements while Ford is ranked best among domestic automakers.

Volvo is recalling nearly 10,000 cars in the United States due to the possibility of air bags failing to deploy properly. The recall involves 9,746 2010-11 S80 and XC70s and 2011 XC60s and 2010 V70s.

It’s amazing to see what a design team can do when they don’t have their arms tied by accountants. For the 2010 LA Auto Show‘s annual Design Challenge, automakers were invited to create a vehicle that is good for the environment, attractive and exciting to drive, but it also much be safe, seat four and weigh less than 1,000 lbs.

As a European automaker, its more than just a little strange that Volvo has never offered a small 5-door hatchback, considering cars like the VW Golf, Audi A3 and 5-door BMW 1 Series sell in such huge numbers overseas. True, Volvo has had the V50 for many years now, but it’s always been a bit too big for that smaller segment, and a bit too small to compete with wagon versions of the Passat, BMW 3 Series and Audi A3.

According to some leaked internal documents, the new Volvo V60 will come equipped with a 250-hp turbocharged 5-cylinder engine in base trim when it arrives at dealers here in North America in the Spring. When Volvo originally announced the new, second-gen S60 it only released info on the top-shelf AWD, 300-hp version.

Volvo is set to enter the World Touring Car Championship in 2011, and while the brand isn’t normally associated with motorsports, the Volvo 850 wagon had a previous campaign in the British Touring Car Championship, where it was famous for being a station wagon, and having a penchant for going up on three wheels.

Now, Volvo is planning to return to touring cars with a WTCC entry based on the S60. A successful season in the Swedish Touring Car Championship spurred Volvo on to the idea of taking their race program to the rest of Europe, and with top rivals SEAT and BMW scaling back their efforts, we’d say that the Swedes have a decent shot of winning.

[Source: Volvo]

Hit the jump to see the official press release

Volvo is adding even more style and a touch more performance to its new S60 and V60 models thanks to an optional R-Design package. Officially unveiled at the Paris Auto Show, the R-Spec package is available with any engine choice (in Europe anyway).

Recent reports have suggested that everyone from Mazda to General Motors is preparing to launch a diesel engine in North America and now Volvo appears to be joining that list.

Under the new leadership of former VW USA CEO Stefan Jacoby, Volvo will look to rival established German automakers in areas of the market where they aren’t as well established. Before BMW can build up too strong of a following in the compact segment Volvo plans to launch a new platform that will be used to build both a sedan an crossover, competing with the likes of the BMW 1 Series and X1.

Volvo unceremoniously killed off their S60R and V70R some years ago, but they still kept their R-design appearance packages around, for those who wanted a more aggressive looking Volvo.

With the new S60 and V60 R-Design, the cosmetic upgrades are back, but a few mechanical changes are taking place as well. A strut tower brace, firmer springs and bushings make up most of the upgrades, but the real treat is a torque-vectoring traction control system that will appear on S60 AWD models. The new package will debut at the Paris Auto Show next week.

Hit the jump to read the official press release

Gallery: Volvo R-Design

[Source: Volvo]

Randy Pobst’s racing resume is extensive having clinched Speed World Challenge GT championships in 2003, 2007 and 2008. Perhaps well known for driving the Tri-Point Mazda 6 from 2004-2007, Pobst joined the K-PAX team in 2007 and 2008, clinching the championship in their Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Car. But that’s all history now as Pobst has taken yet another championship (in the GT Class) for K-PAX, but this time in their Volvo S60.

Despite still having one more race at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah during October 1-3rd, Pobst has already locked down the championship thanks to a 212 point lead over second place, James Sofronas. Volvo has also clinched the manufacturers’ championship for 2010 with a 12 point lead over Porsche heading into the final race.

Pobst was able to lock down the championship with a second place finish at Virginia International Raceway. Pobst’s teammate, Andy Pilgrim, took the victory at the event in the #8 K-PAX Racing Volvo S60 – giving K-PAX Racing a 1-2 sweep of the podium.

A huge congratulations to the team, and to Randy Pobst for adding onto his already impressive driving resume.

In a bid to improve fuel economy without sacrificing performance Volvo will bdegin fitting two new gasoline turbocharged direct-injection (GTDi) engines in two of its cars later this year. Both a turbocharged 3-cylinder and 4-cylinder will be offered for the new S60 and V60 wagon.

Last month Heico teased us with renders of their upcoming Volvo S60 accessories and now those renders have become a reality. Heico Sportiv even goes so far as to say the Volvo S60 is sexy and not chivalrous, but we wouldn’t want to take away a car’s chivalry now would we? Regardless, the new generation Volvos aren’t the same ‘ol tanks your grandparents used to drive to keep your safe. They’re sporty and unique, offering a unique blend of styling and performance. And the fact that Heico specializes in tuning Volvos makes this S60 is an instant winner.

Some rides are better suited for your dogs than others. From your dog’s point of view, all they need is an open window to stick their head out of, but the American Automobile Association (AAA) has put a bit more thought into compiling their list of the best canine-friendly vehicles.

“More than 45 million households in the U.S. have a dog, and many are taking Fido along for the ride on a regular basis,” said John Nielsen, AAA National Director of Auto Repair and Buying Services. “There several vehicles with features that can help keep pets safe, comfortable and easy to clean-up after while also addressing other driver desires such as sportiness, adventure or luxury.”

In order to put together the most through list, AAA Auto Buying’s team of experts test drove and reviewed hundreds of vehicles. The list was based on a wide variety of factors such as crash test ratings, safety features, fuel economy, ease of animal ingress and egress, cargo area size, availability of tie-down hooks and easy-to-clean interiors.

Broken down into six categories, see the winners after the jump:

In his first press conference as the newly appointed CEO of Volvo, Stefan Jacoby gave a vague outline of where he intends to take the company. Top on Jacoby’s list are improving Volvo’s emotional appeal and looking for ways to work with suppliers and other automakers in the industry.