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BMW Shanghai: Driving in mega cities, designing the future and more

The BMW enclave is a suitable mix of high-tech and throwback cool.
A few days before the Shanghai Motor Show kicked off, we were part of an international group of media that was invited to have a look at the BMW Designworks Shanghai Studio and ConnectedDrive Lab facility. The building that BMW found to house its Chinese think tank is in a lovely part of Shanghai known as the former French Concession. The late 1890s and early 1900s French architectural style, brick-paved streets and tree-lined spaces feel a world apart from the ultra-modern heart of Shanghai, and the BMW enclave is a suitable mix of high-tech and throwback cool.

BMW i3 qualifies for both green and white HOV stickers in California

BMW buyers tend to have enough cash on hand to be buffered from the concept of "sticker shock," but the term may take on a different meaning when it comes to the German automaker's i3 plug-in vehicle and its classification by California clean-air regulators. The first i3 EVs are set to be sold in May, and some are questioning if the new car will be eligible for the state's white stickers or green High-Occupancy Vehicle lane stickers, both of which allow for solo-occupancy in HOV lanes. California gives out white stickers to some types of battery-electric vehicles, compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, and there's currently no limit on the number that can be given out. The green stickers, which are applied to other battery electrics as well as some plug-in hybrids, are limited (there are currently about 15,000 left) and will likely run out within the next year or two. The i3's status is uncertain because of it has an optional gas-powered range-extender. Jacob Harb, head of electric vehicle operations and strategy for BMW, told AutoblogGreen that it's not all that complicated. The pure electric version of the i3 will get the white sticker, the REx version will get the green sticker. He also said that both will qualify for the $2,500 state incentive in California and the $7,500 federal tax credit available in all 50 states (For what it's worth, Green Car Reports says the REx version will only get $1,500 from California). Read Autoblog's First Drive impressions of the i3 here.

2015 BMW i8 offers you a fast ride to the future for $135,700* [w/video]

BMW's long-form teasing and rollout of its incredibly cool i8 has put us in a unique position to report from its world debut here in Frankfurt. Typically, an auto show debut marks just the start of the information dump about a new vehicle. The i8, however, is a car that we've already driven and reviewed, so perhaps the biggest news from the show floor is the official price of the thing, as well as getting to see it live and in person, of course.
Arriving in US showrooms in the spring of 2014, the i8 performance plug-in hybrid will carry a price tag of $135,700 (*not including $925 for destination and handling charges). That kind of cash puts the i8 near the very top of the BMW range (slotting just under the top-trim 7-Series models), and will buy a massive amount of new technology.
The four-seat i8 has the look of a true supercar, and its new-tech drivetrain will offer up the performance of a stirring sports car, at least. A TwinPower Turbo, three-cylinder, 1.5-liter engine will make 231 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque that's gets sent to the rear wheels, while a 96-kilowatt electric motor doles out 131 hp and 184 lb-ft of maximum torque to the fronts. Total system output of 362 hp and 420 lb-ft allows the i8 to sprint to 62 miles per hour in 4.4 seconds with all-wheels-driven handling, and it still returns an astonishing 94 miles per gallon US.