Live from the LA Auto Show: BMW North American Debut of Production i8

BMW kicked off the LA Auto Show by showing the production version of the i8, which will go on sale in mid-2014 for a tick under $137,000 and will make extensive use of carbon fiber, much like its baby-brother, the i3. It will be powered by a 1.5-liter, three-cylinder gasoline engine producing 231 hp (powering the rear wheels) and an electric motor pushing 131 hp to the front wheels for a total of 362 hp. It should be enough to push this 3285 lb plug-in hybrid to 62mph in 4.4 seconds.

While BMW claims that the i8 will get about 94mpg on the EU cycle, we’re pretty sure that given the chance, we could do far worse. Sadly, the production model does not retain the concept’s glass doors, but they do open up in the same manner as the McLaren 12C’s doors. We’re looking forward to driving it and seeing how the drivetrains work in concert. We’re curious what you think about the design though, do you like the production version?