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Weekly Recap: The divergent paths of Tesla and Fisker

There's no doubt that Tesla is downshifting while Fisker has been grinding its gears. But it wasn't always that way.
In the wake of Tesla's recent success, it's easy to forget that there were once two California electric carmakers with bright futures.

BMW unleases new M4 as MotoGP safety car

BMW has some considerable racing prowess to crow about, and draws on those credentials to create models like the new M4. But it's not about to rest on the laurels it's won at the end of innumerable races past and present. Mere months after the release of its latest performance coupe, BMW has already revealed a new M4 touring car for the DTM series, and has now unveiled its new M4 safety car for the MotoGP motorcycle championship.
Revealed on the BMW M Facebook page and set to debut at the front of the grid at the season opener in Qatar a couple weeks from now, the new M4 safety car is just the latest in a long string of official vehicles it has provided to the MotoGP series. Previous examples have included everything from the 1M Coupe to the M6 and the X6 M.
Like its predecessors, the M4 safety car features emergency lighting, special equipment and of course BMW's trademark white livery with red, navy and light blue stripes that, in this arrangement, give the new Williams Martini Racing livery a run for its money. Logos promote the BMW M Performance Parts you can buy to bring your own Bimmer up to spec, which on this car isn't likely have changed much from stock.

Alpina XD3 Bi-Turbo offers facelifted looks, diesel-powered 4.9-sec 0-62 sprint [w/video]

I've always thought it would be fascinating to look at the psychographic data of Alpina's customer base. While the company's high-zoot rendition of BMW 7 and 5 Series sedans makes plenty of sense, I don't quite understand the appeal of the still-expensive tunes, further down the range. Enter the European-only Alpina XD3 Bi-Turbo, which made its debut here in Geneva today. The XD3 has been around for a bit, but this year it's refreshed to coincide with the BMW X3's own nip-tuck. The result is essentially a new front and back fascia on the same, ginormous Alpina wheels that make the brand's products instantly recognizable. For anyone that covets huge diesel performance in a small SUV-shaped package, that's a good thing. The XD3 pushes a whopping 516 pound-feet of torque and 345 horsepower out of its 3.0-liter, biturbo sixer, all good for a 0-62-mile-per-hour sprint of just 4.9 seconds. Which is quick by any measure. Still, the privilege of driving the fast, high-center-of-gravity Bimmer doesn't come cheaply – Alpina would like just over 69,000 euro ($77,000 by today's rates) for each example. That kind of coin will buy a European equal performance in the form of a Porsche Macan diesel, or any number of non-SUV performance rides, too. It takes a special mind, I suppose... Related Video: