Golden Gate, Golden Anniversary
Long before the the SUV or the minvan, there was the wagon—and for fifty years, the Volvo wagon has been the quintessence of the breed. Now, as this most recognizable of Swedish imports turns fifty, we celebrate with a look back, from the 1953 Duett to the new V70R. Here, a train of wagons crosses San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge during recent Golden Anniversary festivities.

Photo Gallery: Wagon Train! Photo Gallery – Latest News, Features, and Auto Show Coverage – Automobile Magazine

The C30 is the smallest Volvo ever sold in the United States, a land where upmarket-brand small cars are few. The Mini Cooper and the Volks-wagen GTI take the traditional hot-hatch approach, with sportiness their calling card, while the Audi A3 is purely a premium compact. The C30 is closer in spirit to the A3, but that car has four doors where the C30 has two, so Volvo sees the C30 as more of a sporty funster for the young and hip.

Photo Gallery: 2008 Volvo C30 – Review – Automobile Magazine

We got our first glimpse of the XC60 in concept guise at the 2007 Detroit show just over a year ago. The S40-based utility will make its production debut in Geneva next month.

Photo Gallery: 2009 Volvo XC60 – Latest News, Features, and Reviews – Automobile Magazine

The Volvo XC60 is making its North American debut at the 2008 New York show.

Photo Gallery: 2009 Volvo XC60 – North American Debut – Automobile Magazine

You might think that Volvo wagons are desired only by affluent suburban mothers, but think again: my friend Richard, a 38-year-old hair stylist, is ga-ga over this car. As soon as he saw it in my driveway, he gushed, “That Volvo wagon is BEAUTIFUL! I want it! It would be perfect for me and Walter – I could put a crate in the back for him.” Walter is not another man, but rather Richard’s snow white Siberian husky. And I agree, both stylish Richard and handsome Walter would look good in the Volvo V70.

Photo Gallery: 2008 Volvo V70 Wagon – Volvo Midsize Wagon Review – Automobile Magazine

While Americans fret about miles per gallon, Europeans take a serious look at how much carbon dioxide (CO2) their vehicles emit. Volvo‘s done just that with its new DRIVe range, consisting of specially-tuned versions of its C30, S40, and V50 models. All three produce less than 120 grams of CO2 per kilometer.

Photo Gallery: 2009 Volvo C30, S40, and V50 DRIVe Diesels

Trieste, Italy, Sunday evening.

Photo Gallery: 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan – Road Trip in the New 2009 VW Tiguan Crossover SUV – Automobile Magazine

Golf V, we hardly knew ye. After only five years (two in the U.S.), the fifth-generation hatchback departs, leaving us with this: the 2010 Volkswagen Golf, which we’ll continue to see badged as a Rabbit.

Photo Gallery: 2010 Volkswagen Golf / Rabbit – Volkswagen Hatchback – Automobile Magazine