Plug-in Cars: Where Can You Buy Them?

Thursday’s pricing announcement for the Chevrolet Spark EV likely piqued some interest on the West Coast, but chances are few others gave it much attention. GM will sell the all-electric hatchback only in California and Oregon; the automaker has announced no plans to sell it elsewhere, spokesman Kevin Kelly told us.

Where can EV fans find their cars? We tallied up the states.

No surprise: Californians get the biggest slice of the EV pie. Thank the state's zero-emissions vehicle mandate, which requires automakers to sell a certain percentage of zero-emissions vehicles, explained Ed Kim, AutoPacific's vice president of industry analysis. Nearby Washington state has adopted California's emissions requirements but not the ZEV quota, and states such as Oregon and a number along the East Coast have adopted both.

The emissions requirement should eventually align with the federal government's 2025 corporate average fuel economy requirements. But it still means "a plug-in car sold in Oregon counts towards California’s required ZEV volume for the automaker that makes that vehicle," Kim wrote in an email. "It’s not a natural consumer market for such vehicles, but rather a market legislated into existence."

2013 Toyota Corolla: Car Seat Check

For 2013, Toyota's compact sedan gets a new grille and more chrome trim outside. Despite its modest dimensions, the Corolla's backseat was roomy enough to hold two child-safety seats in comfort. The sedan's accessible Latch anchor and flat seat bottom cushion made installation a breeze.

Which Cars Fit Three Car Seats?

UPDATE: Parents are often searching for the automotive holy grail: a car that's not a minivan and can fit three child-safety seats across the backseat. It's a short list.

In the more than three years that Cars.com editors have been installing car seats into test vehicles, we've come across only a handful of cars that can hold three car seats across a backseat.

For 2014, the Jeep Grand Cherokee received interior and exterior revisions, but that didn’t affect this two-row crossover’s ability to fit three child-safety seats across its backseat.

As we come across more cars that fit three child-safety seats, we'll add to this list. For now, here are the cars from our Car Seat Checks that can fit three car seats in the second row:

Automakers Want NHTSA to Lighten Up on High-Beam Rules

Automakers are asking U.S. safety regulators to lighten up on headlight restrictions. They want to implement new headlight technologies that allow motorists to use their high beams without blinding other drivers. European and Japanese automakers, in recent weeks, have ramped up the dialogue on the issue with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in hopes of bringing to U.S. consumers headlight advancements already used on thousands of vehicles sold overseas.

Volvo in March announced that S60 sedans, V60 wagons and XC60 crossovers on sale this spring in Europe will have "Active High-Beam Control," which uses a camera and an automatic shading mechanism to avoid blinding oncoming drivers, USA Today reported. The system would need government approval before the automaker could sell vehicles equipped with it in the U.S. Audi and BMW also have similar technologies ready to deploy, but are still working with NHTSA for approval, while Mercedes-Benz's enhanced headlight-dimming technology isn't yet ready for the U.S. market, the newspaper reported.

Toyota Corolla's $1,999 Wheels Make Little Sense

That's right, folks: compact car shoppers can outfit the thrifty 2013 Toyota Corolla with $1,999 worth of upsized alloy and rubber. The Corolla, a vehicle with no optional high-performance engines and a suspension that can rock a baby to sleep, is an odd fit for accessory 18-inch wheels that cost nearly 12% of the vehicle's $17,025 starting price, including destination.

What's the Most Affordable Compact Sedan?

A 2013 Toyota Corolla S rolled into the Cars.com test fleet fitted with attractive five-spoke wheels any gearhead or enthusiast would want on their own car. They're available from performance accessory division Toyota Racing Development in silver or black on all trim levels. Our minds wandered and, below, digital imagining shows what the wheels would look like if painted gunmetal gray and installed on our 2013 Subaru BRZ long-term tester - in short: good. 

Back on topic, the Corolla isn't a rear-wheel-drive sports car, nor does it have any traits of sportiness, so it's baffling that these wheels exist as an option.

Recall Alert: 2007-13 Toyota FJ Cruiser

Toyota is recalling 11,489 model-year 2007-13 FJ Cruiser SUVs due to auxiliary headlights that do not comply with federal safety standards for brightness, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The affected vehicles were manufactured between Jan. 25, 2006, and Feb. 23, 2013, and are equipped with a Toyota Auxiliary Driving Lamp Kit mounted to the front bumper. These lamp assemblies include 55-watt bulbs that, in combination with the upper beam headlights, are too bright and exceed the maximum light output allowed by federal safety standards. Excessively bright lamps could temporarily blind oncoming drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.

Toyota said it will begin notifying owners later this month, and dealers will replace the 55-watt bulbs with 35-watt bulbs for free. Owners can call Toyota at 800-331-4331 or NHTSA's vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236, or for more info, go to www.safercar.gov.

Related
Recall Alert: 2007-13 Toyota FJ Cruiser
Recall Alert: 3,235 2009-13 Toyotas
Read About Other Recalls on Cars.com

Cars.com Family Reviews the 2013 Toyota Avalon

With its enormous backseat, comfy front seats and a trunk that’s double-stroller ready, the redesigned 2013 Toyota Avalon is ready for family duty, says Cars.com Family reviewer Carrie Kim. This five-seater has a smooth ride, but it also has plenty of power thanks to its 3.5-liter V-6 engine. The one downside Carrie found with this full-size sedan was its price: The Avalon starts at $31,885, but her test car cost a whopping $42,494.

2013 Toyota Avalon Family Review

2013 Toyota Sienna: Car Seat Check

Toyota's minivan was redesigned for 2011 and not much has changed since then. We tested a top-line version of the Sienna; the Limited has seats for seven on standard second-row captain's chairs and a third-row bench seat. Click here to read how a Sienna with a second-row bench seat handled child-safety seats. In both rows, there was plenty of room for our car seats and plenty of bells and whistles to keep both Mom and the kids happy.

For the Car Seat Check, we use a Graco SnugRide 30 rear-facing infant-safety seat, a Britax Roundabout convertible child-safety seat and Graco high-back TurboBooster seat.

Top 10 Best-Selling Cars: April 2013

Nissan and Ford led a strong month for the auto industry, with sales up 23.2% at Nissan and 17.9% at Ford thanks to big gains among both carmakers' strongest sellers. Nissan Altima sales gained 35.4% while Ford Escape sales spiked 52% — despite similar year-over-year incentives on both and lower dealership supply for the Escape.

It may seem bizarre that the Altima, then, isn't among the top 10 best-sellers. It's been there for ninth months straight, and in March it was the best-selling car (not truck) in America. But a year ago, sales were dismal — less than 17,000 in April 2012 — so even a healthy spike kept Nissan off April 2013's top 10.

The Toyota Camry and Honda Accord had higher-profile struggles. The Camry's sales drop could signal plateauing demand for Toyota's seventh-generation family sedan, whose year-over-year sales have declined for three straight months. The new Accord, meanwhile, is just 7 months old, and shoppers found significantly lower discounts versus the 2012 Accord a year ago. It's a factor that could affect Accord sales through autumn. Still, Ford didn't seem to have a problem with that. Anyone considering the new Fusion found a similar situation — lower discounts versus year-ago levels — but it didn't stop shoppers from flocking toward the popular sedan, whose sales boomed 23.7%.

2013 Toyota RAV4 Earns IIHS Top Safety Pick Status

Toyota redesigned its compact crossover for 2013, and along with new exterior styling and more interior features, the RAV4 also got improved safety ratings for the new model year. 

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety awarded the RAV4 its Top Safety Pick award; the crossover earned "Good" ratings in the agency's moderate overlap front, side, rollover and rear crash tests. The biggest improvement for 2013 comes in roof strength. According to Kristin Nevels from the IIHS, "the new model's roof withstood a force equal to five times the SUV's weight. The previous generation RAV4, manufactured from 2006 to 2012, had a strength-to-weight ratio of 3.46, which equates to an acceptable rating," she said. 

The RAV4's main competitors, including the Honda CR-V, Ford Escape and Mazda CX-5, are also Top Safety Picks. None of the 2013 vehicles in the small crossover class have earned the agency's new and best safety rating, the Top Safety Pick+ (plus) award.

Related
2013 Toyota RAV4 Review
More Safety News
More Toyota News