How green is the new BMW i3 electric car?

Chris Woodyard | USA TODAY

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The new BMW i3 electric car made makes its official U.S. debut this weekend at the Orange County International Auto Show here.

What showgoers may not realize, however, is how far BMW went to make their green car even greener:

•Jacob Harb, head of electric vehicles in the U.S. for BMW, says that the carbon fiber for the car -- its lightest since the 1991 3 Series sedan -- is sourced from a plant in Moses Lake, Wash., that gets its electricity from hydro.

•The instrument panel surround and door trim fibers from a fast-growing Kenaf plant and the wood is from "reponsibly forested" eucalyptus trees.

•A quarter of the plastic used in interior comes from recycled materials.

•The car is assembled in a German plant that is powered by wind-generated electricity.

•Olive-leaf extract is used to tan interior leather surfaces.

As great as all that sounds, we suspect in the end, it's the looks and design that will attract visitors to the auto show. In orange, it's quite the looker.