The new  Volvo V40 might be one of the most attractive hatchbacks that you can’t have. Sorry, but that’s just how it goes. Europeans get the freedom of choice to take a fifth door in elegance, Americans don’t.

More proof that a station wagon can in fact be beautiful, Jaguar has just released the first official photos and details on what it is calling the XF Sportbrake.

Yesterday we revealed the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze station wagon, but as usual, videos are better than photos. The Chevrolet Cruze station wagon is set to debut at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, but for the strange few who are eager to see it, there’s already a video.

Our previous post discussed powertrain specifications, but it didn’t tell you much about the interior. While official details haven’t been released regarding the Cruze’s interior dressings, we can infer some details from the clip.

All-in-all, it doesn’t look like there’s much different aside from the predictable increased cargo space. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. The Cruze managed to win consumer hearts across several continents, Europe included.

You can watch the video below and catch a few glimpses of what we’ll show you during our coverage in Geneva next week.

The Chevrolet Cruze is a popular volume seller for the company, and Chevy is now bringing its Cruze sedan out in station wagon form to try and appeal to a broader range of consumers. The first full photo of the wagon dropped today, a preview of what we will see in person at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show.

With the all new 2013 BMW 3 Series sedan already unveiled, numerous other iterations are starting to pop up, from the 3 Series wagon to the 4 Series Coupe. Our latest spy photos reveal the last version to be unveiled, the 3 Series GT.

The BMW 3-Series is a very popular car worldwide and is pushing into the station wagon market here in the U.S. Our photographers caught the new 3-series wagon out testing and snapped some spy photo s.

Yesterday, the new Audi RS4 Avant leaked on the Internet ahead of its 2012 Geneva Motor Show debut, and now the German automaker has made the new high-performance wagon official along with its specifications.

MINI might be changing the way we think of minivans by the year 2020. The British automaker is considering expanding its lineup to include a five-door station wagon, a van, and possibly even a notchback sedan.

The new Audi RS4 Avant wasn’t meant to be seen until the upcoming 2012 Geneva Motor Show, but photos already leaked onto the internet, big surprise.

We recently caught the Audi RS4 Avant doing some testing in southern Europe and managed to snap some spy photos of the high performance German station wagon. The new Audi looks a little meaner than its predecessor thanks to some new angular headlights and an aggressive grille with wide and low flared front fenders.

Ever wondered what a Cruze would look like if it had some more trunk space? Today, Chevrolet has revealed its Cruze station wagon before its official appearance next month at the 2012 Geneva Auto Show.

This may seem more like a unicorn than a Mustang, but sure enough before your eyes is a custom 1965 Ford Mustang Station Wagon built by Joe Kamp. It’s also now available for sale for $54,900 and with 93,965 miles on the odometer, it’s clearly been built to be driven.

Our photographers have just caught up with the soon-to-be-revealed Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake.

We’ve received word that among the debuts scheduled by Audi at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, the 2013 B8 Audi RS4 Avant will be among them (the B7 is shown above). Powered by a 4.2-liter FSI V8, the car will reportedly crank out some 450 horsepower and 317 lb-ft of torque and will be teamed exclusively with a seven-speed S-tronic transmission that incorporates launch control technology.

Not too long ago, reports came in that Fiat is developing a 500 five-door wagon for the US market and now it appears that the Italian automaker will be reviving the 500L model name for the upcoming five-door 500.

If there were any doubts that Hyundai is planning to offer a second generation of its Elantra Touring in North America, this should pretty much do away with them.

It definitely seemed there was more going on at this year’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit; more buzz, more pizzaz, more enthusiasm. There were over 40 product unveilings, including some highly anticipated new models like Cadillac’s ATS, Acura’s NSX and Ford’s new Fusion, just to name a few.

Audi’s performance vehicle lineup is about to get a new addition with these latest spy photos revealing what appears to be the next-generation RS6 Avant.

Kia Motors America has announced that it’s recalling 145,755 vehicles today. The two models affected are the 2006-08 Optima sedan, specifically those manufactured between September 29, 2005 and January 29, 2008, and Rondo MPVs (pictured above) built between September 13, 2006 and March 21, 2008, for issues with the cars’ supplementary restraint system.

Earlier this month a new reports noted that Chevrolet Volt sales were more successful in its first year than the sales numbers of the Toyota Prius hybrid on its first year back in 2000. What little optimism Chevrolet might have had on the Volt’s sales performance were quickly silenced when data revealed that Toyota dealt a quick knockout as its new Prius v wagon (also in its first year) out sold the Volt. And it did so with just 10 weeks on sale.

It’s no surprise that the 500’s return to North America did not make the splash that Fiat expected. Having sold less than 20,000 vehicles in its first model year in the United States, the 500 only did half as well as the company initially forecasted.

Well, it was nice while it lasted, but Audi has decided to drop the new 2012 Audi A6 Allroad from the U.S. market. The original Audi Allroad was introduced in 1999.

Four-ring performance enthusiasts have been anxiously awaiting Audi‘s next-generation RS4 and finally we have some news to share with a new report that it’ll be coming in wagon form only. Known as the RS4 Avant over in Europe, the five-door wagon has typically outsold sedan counterparts on the Continent, leading to Audi’s decision.

Earlier this week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), revealed documents concerning a safety investigation probe by federal regulators into a severe rear wheel rusting issue afflicting 2004 Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey minivans, driven in states where the roads are salted during the winter months.

With the current trend towards lowering emissions from our transportation devices, it seems even dear old Santa is jumping on the bandwagon, albeit with assistance from Ford Motor Company.

GM has revealed a new Touring Package for the Cadillac CTS, designed to give the standard CTS a bit of its bigger brother CTS-V’s styling. The touring package will include HID headlights, sport-tuned suspension, spoiler for the taillight, 18- or 19-inch wheels, and interior accessories.

Last week, the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety announced that 2012 earned a record number of “top safety picks,” but the automotive industry is looking to set the record number even higher.

Cadillac‘s 2012 SRX crossover and CTS sports sedan and wagon models received a crash safety rating of 5-star overall. According to the National Highway Traffic Adminstration, only 21 vehicles earned the overall high score for 2012.

The SRX and CTS sedan and wagon were tested under NHTSA’s revised New Car Assessment Program first put to effect for the 2011 model year. This revision requires vehicles to pass frontal, side and rollover tests. The 5-star overall rating takes into account the combined results of all the tests.

GM executive director of Vehicle Safety Gay Kent expresses, “Receiving five stars under the new rating system is an impressive feat– on that clearly demonstrates the strength of the SRX and CTS advanced structure, overall crashworthiness and effectiveness of the models’ state-of-the-art safety technologies.”

Hit the jump to watch the video:

On this fateful day, the ambulance that took his body to Air Force One, is now being auctioned off at the 41st Annual Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction, in Scottsdale, AZ.

Dacia has taken quite a different approach in revealing its latest minivan, Lodgy. Rather than traveling the usual auto show circuit and looking pretty on rotating pedestals, a unique, race-prepped Dacia Lodgy has been made to compete in France’s ice rally series, the Trophée Andros, months before any information on the production model is available.

Toyota is looking to ride their successful Prius wave to the future, hoping to revive its US sales that has taken a hit thanks to heavy recalls and the tragic earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan. With two new Prius models on the horizon, Toyota also announced they’ll be entering new market segments with hybrids, including big pickups.

As expected, Volkswagen debuted the Passat Alltrack at the Tokyo Motor Show and it was pretty much everything we expected it to be – a high-riding variant of the Passat wagon that’s offered in Europe. We have to admit we found it a little peculiar that VW would debut the Passat Alltrack in Japan but nonetheless, it got some attention on the show floor.

A stylish look at the future of Subaru’s hybrid tech, the Advanced Tourer Concept is one of several Tokyo Motor Show debuts for the Japanese automaker. A wild looking wagon, it’s powered by a turbocharged direct-injection 4-cylinder boxer engine mated to an in-house hybrid drivetrain, working with Subaru’s all-wheel drive system.

Overwhelming proof that wagons, and for that matter hybrids, can in fact be cool, is the Subaru Advanced Tourer Concept. Unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show today, the car is powered by the next evolution of Subaru’s hybrid powertrain that is expected to arrive in a production model in 2013.

As in the iconic VW Type 2, which was built in Germany from 1950 until 1979, when it was replaced the larger, angular T3/T25 (known as the Vanagon in our neck of the woods).

Subaru has the Legacy and Outback and now Volkswagen has the Passat and the Passat Alltrack. Essentially a high-riding version of the Passat wagon (“Estate”) offered in Europe, the car will make its official debut next week at the Tokyo Motor Show.

Gathering all the knowledge they have learned in this field, Volkswagen has now come up with a new concept van which they think will be the future of delivery mobility.

It’s billed as the largest automotive media association in North America, yet until now, the Los Angeles based Motor Press Guild didn’t have its own Vehicle of the Year awards program.

Along with the highly-anticipated debut of the BRZ sports car, Subaru will also reveal a concept car at the Tokyo Auto Show, giving a strong hint as to the brand’s first hybrid vehicle.

There’s no question that Nissan‘s recently introduced full-size cargo van, the NV is a credible attempt at establishing a foothold in the commercial sector, however despite doing it’s homework extensively before launching the vehicle, sales have been rather sluggish.

Just as BMW has begun drumming up attention with the release of their new 3-series, Audi quickly answered back with their A4 update for the 2013 model year.

Audi‘s growth plan will hinge significantly on the success of its upcoming all-new A3 model. Teased with the A3 Sedan Concept at the Geneva Auto Show earlier this year, the 4-door was an obvious sign that Audi wants to push the car hard in the North American marketplace. And why not, with the proposed concept almost identical in size to the current A4. Plus, with the concept car’s 408-hp engine and beautiful styling it certainly won over the younger enthusiast base – including most every blog on the internet.

As automakers look for ways to save fuel and reduce emissions, idle shut-off systems are becoming increasingly prevalent. Now, Mitsubishi has jumped on the bandwagon, releasing the first details on its new 4J10 1.8-liter gasoline motor which features Auto Stop and Go technology.

Kicherer has pulled the cover off their Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Wagon project, revealing their C63 T Supersport package that helps give the 6.2L V8 540-hp and 472 lb-ft of torque, impressive gains over the factory 457-hp and 443 lb-ft of torque.. The additional power comes courtesy of an ECU retune and stainless steel exhaust system.

However, due to a fall in demand, this model was axed in the North American line-up. But in Europe, the wagon lived on, albeit with a different nose and badge. It was called the Chrysler 300C estate, which was basically a Magnum body with a 300C nose.

Damon Lavrinc of Autoblog had the chance to sit down with Albert Biermann, Head of Product Development for BMW‘s M Division, and was able to glean some information on future product that should put to bed some of the many rumors floating around about BMW’s skunk works.

News regarding the release of coupe, convertible and wagon variants will soon follow after the release of the all-new BMW 3-series.

Volvo said it is working on two variants, a gas-electric plug-in hybrid for North America, and a diesel-electric plug-in hybrid for the rest of the world. Volvo’s system, which uses lithium-ion batteries to power the electric motors, has a range of 31-miles on battery power alone, after which the combustion engine will kick in to take you home.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), certain 2011 and 2012 Mercedes BlueTec diesel may have a possible fuel leak, which can actually lead to fires.

For 2012, the outgoing Subaru Impreza Outback Sport will merely consist of a limited set of trim options before it will make way for a completely redesigned model known as the Subaru XV.

Rumors are brewing that Audi will be bringing an Allroad wagon variant of the A4 to America in 2013, as a 2014 model. It is being reported that company executives have reported to Car and Driver that the Allroad nameplate will soon be back in America, where it was last seen on the A6 wagon back in 2005.

Heico Sportiv has been Volvo‘s official partner for vehicle individualization since 2008, and their newest creation is their take on Volvo’s V60 wagon. Heico is well known to add sportiness to Volvo’s creations, often times transforming Volvos in a way very few can in a classy and subtle fashion. Their V60 tuning program transforms the family wagon to something anyone would sport on the road thanks to their polyurethane body kit, 19-inch wheels, suspension, new exhaust, upgraded brakes and a classy, luxurious interior.

There was a time, some 35-odd years ago, when the only engines found under the hood of a Volvo were four-cylinder units. Some were naturally aspirated, and some were boosted via a turbo-charger.

Subaru has recalled 69, 590 2011 Outback and Legacy models over defective sunroofs. Vehicles manufactured between August 3, 2010 and July 1, 2011 can have the sunroof’s glass panel detach from the sunroof entirely.

Korean automaker Hyundai; continues to push vehicles catered to local market needs in an effort to spur regional growth and it’s new Euro-centric i30, introduced at this year’s Frankfurt show is no exception.

After years of hype (and delays), Fisker finally delivered its first shipment of production models to customers this Summer. The next obvious step would be a concept, followed by several more years of teasers and production hickups. Not so, says CEO Henrik Fisker, unveiling the new Surf model at the Frankfurt Auto Show today.

Audi has unveiled their latest iteration of the S6 and S6 Avant, and the mid-size sports sedans look to continue the engine downsizing trend, moving from a 5.2L V10 to a 4.0L V8 with twin turbochargers making 420 horsepower and 405 lb-ft of torque.

With the passing of the Volvo V70 and VW Passat in North America, European wagons are becoming harder to come by. But  BMW is considering bringing the 5-Series Touring back to our shores to make up for disappointing 5-Series Gran Turismo sales figures.

In Japan, the most popular car is neither big, nor powerful, but it fills the needs of most of its motorists. Since 2003, the most popular car sold in Japan is the Suzuki Wagon R.

However, the Europeans have always had a thing for wagons, especially fast ones, and have never stopped making them, although not many on this side of the Atlantic buy them.

Summer is almost over, which means back to school shopping. Forget about pens, pencils and binders; what about picking up a new set of wheels? Surely that will make the thought of heading back to class a little better!

Kelley Blue Book has put together a list of vehicles that it believes will appeal to kids. There are some odd choices though.

The new car picks all seem to be decent, all are affordable, efficient and attractive. However the used choices are surprising. The Kia Sedona probably won’t be very appealing to students because well, minivans are not cool. As well, the F-150 is a pretty large truck and although it is the best selling vehicle in America, it’s hardly fuel efficient. The HHR was also an interesting choice because not many young people drive them. The new vehicles are probably better choices overall, but who knows, maybe minivans are secretly cool among teenagers… or maybe just teenagers trying really hard to be ironic. What do you think?

Check out the list of new and used vehicles after the jump: