40-mpg pickup, Niro EV changes, Volvo PHEV sales, Tesla recalls: Today’s Car News

The Ford Maverick hybrid shows a 40-mpg future for gasoline compact trucks that Toyota has inexplicably omitted. Kia carries the Niro EV over as anticipation builds for the EV6. We sum up recent Tesla recalls. And Volvo has been selling a lot of plug-in hybrids. This and more, here at Green Car Reports.

 

Ford is at last resurrecting the compact truck—well, almost—in the form of the 2022 Maverick hybrid pickup

. With a targeted EPA city rating of 40 mpg and a starting price of $21,490, is it the perfect truck for those without the bandwidth for charging? 

Kia has carried over its Niro EV for a new model year, ahead of the introduction of the Stinger-influenced EV6 built on a dedicated EV platform. Changes for the 2021 Kia Niro EV

are limited to a few new active-safety features, climate preconditioning, and new touchscreen systems. 

Volvo is pushing plug-in hybrids as a transition step between its gasoline models and the EVs that it sees as the future. And with plug-in hybrids hitting more than a fifth of Volvo’s sales in the U.S. and nearly half of its California sales, the brand is making it happen.  

And over at The Car Connection, this past week has brought a series of recalls for the Model 3 and Model Y

. Ranging from seat belt fasteners to the brake recall we reported last week, each of them requires an in-person inspection and can’t be done over the air. 

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