Arguably BMW’s biggest debut in recent memory, the i3 inaugurates the Blue Roundel’s electrified “i” sub-brand, a project that’s been many years and billions of dollars in the making.

Wearing sheetmetal that’s as unique as the technology that lies beneath, the i3 features the industry’s first mass-produced Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic passenger cell. This advanced weight-saving measure helps to maximize the efficiency of the i3′s powertrain, an electric motor that draws power from a lithium-ion battery and sends 170 horsepower along with 184 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels.

In addition to enabling a zero-to-60 mph sprint of 7.2 seconds, the setup is good for a claimed range of 80-100 miles. Those needing to go further can spec a motorcycle-derived 650cc range extender gasoline engine, which, instead of driving the wheels, recharges the battery to stretch the EV’s range to about 185 miles.

With a starting price of $42,275, does the i3 deliver a strong value? More importantly, does it offer the driving experience expected of a BMW? Join our Ron Duron as he tackles these questions, and for more information, be sure to check out our First Drive review of the i3.

Just six months after starting Fusion production at a second North American plant, Ford is raising incentives on its mid-size sedan to help clear out mounting inventories.

Around many parts of the country Ford is now offering 0 percent financing and $1,000 offer its stylish Fusion sedan. The Dearborn-based automaker is also offering 0 down lease deals on the Fusion, as well as $3,000 cash back for buyers that decline the financing deals but are trading in another vehicle.

The discounts are the deepest Ford has offered since the redesigned Fusion went on sale in 2012.

“The car is selling, but not as fast as they’re building them,” Larry Taylor, the owner of Beau Townsend Ford in Vandalia, Ohio, and a former member of the Ford dealer council, told Automotive News. “They’ve buried us.”

Fusion inventories have ballooned to a 97-day supply, up from 84 days a month earlier. Fusion sales dipped by 8 percent in January, but that decline was partly to blame on harsh winter condition across much of the U.S.

Ford is now spending about $2,900 to sell each Fusion, up from $2,200 during 2013. However, Ford is still putting less cash on the hood of the Fusion than the Toyota Camry and Nissan Altima.

Ford began building the Fusion at its Flat Rock, Michigan, plant in August 2013, but has already had to halt production to keep a lid on growing supplies. The sedan is also built at the automaker’s factory in Hermosillo, Mexico.

Facing complaints that a recall fix caused some Jeep Grand Cherokee and Commander models to subsequently malfunction, Chrysler has denied a causal relation but promises to pay for repair costs in some cases.

The issue starts with a recall last year that affected nearly a half million 2005-2012 Grand Cherokees and 2006-2010 Commanders, which were vulnerable to problems with the circuit board on their NVG 245 transfer case. The company decided to address the issue with a software update to prevent accidental shifting into neutral due to cracked boards.

After bringing their Jeeps in to have the final-drive controller reflashed, more than a few owners reportedly encountered “4WD system error” faults and loss of low-range 4WD mode.

Some of the affected vehicles are said to have required a new transfer-case actuator to be installed. Other owners reverted back to old software and claimed that the 4WD warning lights went off and 4WD-low functionality was restored, albeit with the risk of neutral rollaway.

“The update has no bearing on the root cause of the warning-light activation,” the company said in a statement posted by Autoweek. “Chrysler Group engineers developed the software update, which prevents an inadvertent transfer-case shift and also enables identification of a pre-existing electrical fault that was previously undetectable.”

Despite the denial of responsibility for breaking Jeeps that left the service centers with new warning lights illuminated, Chrysler will cover repair costs “on a case-by-case basis.”

The UAW has filed an appeal with the National Labor Relations Board claiming that outside influences from politicians and special interest groups negatively affected a recent vote at Volkswagen’s Chattanooga, Tennessee, production plant.

Earlier this month workers at VW’s Tennessee plant voted down joining the UAW by a count of 712-to-626, but the union claims the outcome would have been different had it not been for anti-union campaigns run by outside entities.

The appeal specifically calls out U.S. Senator Bob Corker, who publicly promised that the Chattanooga plant would be chosen to build a new SUV if workers rejected the UAW’s bid for representation.

“Senator Corker’s conduct was shameful and undertaken with utter disregard for the rights of the citizens of Tennessee and surrounding states that work at Volkswagen,” the objection states. “The clear message of the campaign was that voting for the union would result in stagnation for the Chattanooga plant, with no new product, no job security, and withholding of state support for its expansion.”

UAW president Bob King also voiced his displeasure with Corker, along with some of the state’s other elected officials.

“It’s an outrage that politically motivated third parties threatened the economic future of this facility and the opportunity for workers to create a successful operating model that that would grow jobs in Tennessee,” said King. “It is extraordinary interference in the private decision of workers to have a U.S. senator, a governor and leaders of the state legislature threaten the company with the denial of economic incentives and workers with a loss of product. We’re committed to standing with the Volkswagen workers to ensure that their right to have a fair vote without coercion and interference is protected.”

The UAW is desperately trying to convert at least one southern factory owned by a transplant automaker to help stem its sliding membership.

The NLRB will review the UAW’s appeal and determine if a re-vote is necessary.

Hyundai has fully revealed its Intrado concept crossover ahead of the Geneva Motor Show.

The company hopes the Intrado’s aesthetics will help attract younger buyers and distinguish the brand from Kia, while also serving as a demonstration platform for a new form of carbon-fiber construction that could make its way to production vehicles in the coming years.

“Many people say Hyundai is the more conservative brand of the two, but I don’t think that’s the right way,” designer Peter Schreyer told Auto Express. “It’s not an old man’s car, it can be sporty too with its rally racing background and more.”

The company has filed a patent for a construction method that starts with soft carbon-fiber tubing that can be bent into different shapes. Once the desired form is achieved, resin is cured inside the tubes to create a rigid frame.

The approach is claimed to be rigid enough to eliminate the need for a B-pillar between the front and rear seats, simplifying passenger entry. It is also said to be much lighter and simpler to produce, compared to current mainstream construction methods with steel or aluminum.

The Intrado is designed around Hyundai’s second-generation hydrogen fuel cell, which is claimed to deliver a range of over 365 miles and push the car to 62 mph in approximately 12.5 seconds.

Additional details are expected to be disclosed next month as the Intrado goes on display in Geneva.