In this age of round, tiny, aero-dynamic autos I would find it refreshing to see a large square rolling down the street, with a smokey, guzzling V8 under its hood. Rolling Iron. The Volvo cars of yesterday are a far cry from Green Rides everyone is producing in this year of our lord Two-Thousand & Nine. Even as Volvo struggles, along with pretty much every other foreign and domestic car maker on Earth, it might be a refreshing take on the automobile to bring a little nostalgic-styling back to dealership lots.

You could still produce the 4-cyl Compacts, maybe even make a Ford Focus type ride (as Ford owns a large stake in Volvo) but keep that classic late-70′s to mid-80′s 90 degree angled look. How about a hybrid that looks like a Lego car? Volvo could pull it off. Wouldn’t be too much of a departure from their current lineup – even without the sharp corners Volvo is still making some of the boxiest automobiles on the road today.

Come on people – today, our cars look like Japanese imports…tomorrow, the terrorists win!

Reports, which cite a Chinese government source, say Geely plans to start production of a new Volvo car in China’s Guangzhou Province after introducing the XC90 SUV to the country. They go on to say Geely is prepared to invest up to US$10 billion in Volvo’s global operations.

But Volvo denies that such an announcement exists. “An announcement related to the sale of Volvo Car Corp. would only come from Ford Motor Company,” it said in a statement. “As of today, neither Ford Motor Company nor Volvo Car Corporation in Sweden has made any announcement regarding the sale of Volvo. Reports of such a sale by any media outlet are speculative and, therefore, are not accurate.”

Renault and Ford are still in talks over the possible sale of Volvo to the French automaker. The two companies discussed a deal last year that, according to Reuters, fell through, but are now again conducting talks on a sale. Renault and Ford could not agree on a selling price for Volvo last year. Ford purchased Volvo in 1999 for 6.4 billion US and has put a 6 billion dollar price tag on the Swedish automaker. But Volvo is losing money and has posted a 1.5 billion dollar loss for 2008.

Renault’s interest in Volvo dates back to 1993, when the French automaker’s bid to buy it was blocked by Sweden Shareholder’s Association and by people inside Volvo. The premium brand, with its larger, upmarket products, would make a logical addition to the Renault-Nissan alliance, where Renault specializes in small cars and Nissan is a volume Japanese brand.

No details have emerged as to what Renault is willing to pay for Volvo.

Ford bought the Swedish based auto company back in 1999, when Volvo was looking for a little help themselves (much like now, where Volvo is reaching out to the government of Sweden for financial help). This sale would make Volvo a stand alone company. That may not last, however, since speculation says VW or Fiat may want to acquire Volvo. More below in Ford’s official press release:

FORD MOTOR COMPANY ANNOUNCES IT WILL RE-EVALUATE STRATEGIC OPTIONS FOR VOLVO CAR CORPORATION

DEARBORN, Mich., Dec. 1, 2008 – Ford Motor Company [NYSE: F] announced today it will re-evaluate strategic options for Volvo Car Corporation, including the possible sale of the Sweden-based premium automaker.

Ford said the decision to re-evaluate strategic options for Volvo comes in response to the significant decline in the global auto industry particularly in the past three months and the severe economic instability worldwide. The strategic review of Volvo is in line with a broad range of actions Ford is taking to strengthen its balance sheet and ensure it has the resources to implement its product-led transformation plan.

“Given the unprecedented external challenges facing Ford and the entire industry, it is prudent for Ford to evaluate options for Volvo as we implement our ONE Ford plan,” said Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally. “Volvo is a strong global brand with a proud heritage of safety and environmental responsibility and has launched an aggressive plan to right-size its operations and improve its financial results. As we conduct this review, we are committed to making the best decision for both Ford and Volvo going forward.”

Ford said the review likely will take several months to complete. In the meantime, Ford will continue working closely with Volvo as it implements its restructuring plan under CEO Stephen Odell, who was appointed to lead Volvo earlier this year. At the same time, Ford and Volvo will continue to put in place processes that allow Volvo to operate on a more stand-alone basis in the absence of the Premier Automotive Group structure, an effort which began in November 2007 following a previous review by Ford of strategic options for Volvo.

“Outstanding safety, an increased focus on environmentally friendly vehicles and contemporary Scandinavian design will continue to be the foundation upon which we will build a strong Volvo business for the future.” Odell said. “We intend to build upon our strong brand heritage and to appeal to our global customers with vehicles like the new XC60 – the safest car Volvo has ever built. Volvo also will introduce seven low-emission models in 2009, giving us the best environmental product range in the premium segment.

“We have a strong brand presence in Europe, North America and the Asia Pacific region, and are growing in key markets such as China and Russia, where we are the leading premium brand.” Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Michigan, United States, manufactures or distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents. With about 224,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company’s core and affiliated automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Volvo and Mazda. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company.