This new stylish five-door hatchback is expected to show its beauty in public at the 2012 Geneva Auto Salon at the beginning of March.

The design of Volvo’s new model is a mix of styling elements seen on the S60 series, especially up front and at the rear end, with a profile that looks like a lower interpretation of the Swedish automaker’s crossover models such as the XC60 and XC90.

Previously leaked information mentions that the V40 will measure 4,500 mm or about 177-inches in length, making it only 20 mm or 0.77-inches shorter than the V50 station wagon, which it will most likely replace when it arrives in the market later this year.

The possibility of Volvo developing additional body styles of the V40 including a three-door model to replace the C30 and a four-door sedan as a successor to the S40, remains open.

The popular Volvo car company announced last August that it was leaving behind the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship where it had quite successfully raced its C30 hatchback, and rather would start competing in the rival Swedish Racing Elite League by TTA.

Today, the automaker has unveiled its new race car for the 2012 TTA season, which is based on its popular S60 sedan.

At the unveiling, Alexander Murdzevski, Volvo’s director of motorsport in Sweden, said, “We have had a big pressure on us from many curious Volvo enthusiasts as it is a new championship and a new racing car. That is why we chose to reveal the car now. Our final team colors are going to be shown later, but this is our S60 in TTA racing specification.”

Together with its motorsport partner Polestar, Volvo will be running a total of four race cars through two different teams, Volvo Polestar Racing and Volvo Polestar Performance. Three of four drivers are confirmed, Robert Dahlgren, Fredrik Ekblom and Thed Björk. The fourth driver has not yet been named.

Volvo is keen to stress that the fairness of the series was one of its main motivations for joining. TTA is going to feature silhouette touring cars with a common 3.5-liter V-6 engine and KERS. Peak output is capped at 420 horsepower, with drive strictly going to the rear wheels via a six-speed sequential gearbox with paddle shifters.

The first leg of the 2012 TTA season commences on May 12 at Karlskoga, Sweden. Volvo is signed up for the series until 2015.

The last time we had a Volvo V40 was 2004. The V50 filled the wagon-shaped hole in Volvo’s lineup here until 2011 when it was cancelled. The V50 offered a more stylish wrapper, better performance and a more exciting interior. Whereas the V40 was too expensive for what you got, the V50 hit the premium market at the sweet spot.

At least that was the goal. In 2010, Volvo sold 1,720 V50s, a 20 percent decline from 2009 sales. Compare this with the XC60 which moved 6,626 units. Considering that, I wouldn’t put too much hope in seeing this newly teased V40 on US Shores anytime soon.

Volvo’s CEO, Stefan Jacoby, has confirmed that the automaker will launch an all-new V40 five-door to compete with the BMW 1-Series and the Audi A3.

The V40 will break cover at March’s Geneva Motor Show in just a few weeks.

While we can’t tell much from the blacked-out silhouette shown above, the previous teaser pictured below reveals that the V40 may borrow front-end styling cues from the S60 sedan, which we say is a good thing. We like the upswept character line and gently sloping roof, too, so the V40 probably won’t disappoint in the looks department.

Since Volvo has declared its intentions to move to four-cylinder engines across its product lineup, we expect the V40 to debut with a 2.0-liter, direct-injection four banger instead of the company’s currently ubiquitous five-cylinder. Rumor has it that the V40 will even spawn an ‘XC40′ crossover version to take on the likes of the BMW X1 and Audi Q3.

Sadly, there’s a strong chance the regular V40 won’t be sold in the U.S. though it’s highly likely that any crossover version would given American buyers’ penchant for crossovers and SUVs.

We’ll bring you more information on the Volvo V40, as well as all other breaking news, as part of our complete Geneva Motor Show coverage so stay tuned for an update once press days commence on March 6.

Volvo C30 just had a facelift! The new Volvo C30 R-Design adapts a sporty look from their existing car line-ups. The new design was revealed during the Frankfurt Motor Show. Mechanical upgrades such as improved steering with much sharper ratios, and also an more developed suspension.

Stefan Sallqvist, manager Vehicle Dynamics at Volvo Cars, said that a customer who test-drives the new C30 R-Design can immediately feel the difference. “Even before the car has covered fifty meters, the driver will be aware of the crisp steering and the distinct chassis response,” Sallqvist added.

Outer improvements of the R-Design includes a brand new, more aggressive bodykit for the C30, making the premium hot hatch a very attractive one. The bodykit, together with the new chrome plated tailpipes, 17-inch sport rims and the metal finish for the grille and mirror housings complete the sportier look of the new C30.

More Volvo C30 R-Design car photos below.

The 2009 V50 is a 4-door, 5-passenger wagon, available in two trims, the 2.4i and the T5 AWD R-Design.

Upon introduction, the 2.4i is equipped with a standard 2.4-liter, I5, 168-horsepower engine that achieves 20-mpg in the city and 28-mpg on the highway. The T5 AWD R-Design is equipped with a standard 2.5-liter, I5, 227-horsepower, turbo engine that achieves 18-mpg in the city and 26-mpg on the highway. A 5-speed automatic transmission is standard on both trims.

We acknowledged: Yahoo! Autos and the 2009 V50 is a carryover from 2008.

The 2009 S80 is a 4-door, 5-passenger luxury sedan, available in 3 trims, ranging from the 3.2 to the V8 AWD…. read more

Upon introduction, the 3.2 is equipped with a standard 3.2-liter, I6, 235-horsepower engine that achieves 16-mpg in the city and 25-mpg on the highway. The V8 AWD is equipped with a standard 4.4-liter, V8, 311-horsepower engine that achieves 15-mpg in the city and 22-mpg on the highway. A 6-speed automatic transmission with overdrive is standard on both trims.

We acknowledged: Yahoo! Autos and the 2009 S80 is a carryover from 2008.

The 2009 S60 is a 4-door, 5-passenger luxury sedan, or luxury sports sedan, available in 3 trims, ranging… read more from the 2.5T to the T5.

Upon introduction, the 2.5T is equipped with a standard 2.5-liter, I5, 208-horsepower, turbo engine that achieves 19-mpg in the city and 28-mpg on the highway. The T5 is equipped with a standard 2.4-liter, I5, 257-horsepower, turbo engine that achieves 18-mpg in the city and 26-mpg on the highway. A 5-speed automatic transmission is standard on both trims.

We acknowledged: Yahoo! Autos and the 2009 S60 is a carryover from 2008.

The 2010 XC60 is a 4-door, 5-passenger luxury sport-utility, available in one trim only, the T6 AWD.

Upon… read more introduction, the XC60 is equipped with a standard 3.0-liter, I6, 281-horsepower, turbo engine that achieves 16-mpg in the city and 22-mpg on the highway. A 6-speed automatic transmission with overdrive is standard.

We acknowledged: Yahoo! Autos and the 2010 XC60 is all-new for 2010.