Top Gear UK has been on hiatus since August of 2011 and they recently broke that downtime with a special episode, where the three middle-aged men ventured into India to try and save Britain’s economy. But now, a new trailer is out for an all-new season.

To keep the hype up, the BBC2 was sure to not expose too much with the program’s upcoming season. But from what we can tell, season 18 of Top Gear looks to be as jam-packed with automotive goodness as it usually is. We see some AMG Black Benzes roasting some rubber, Richard Hammond attempts to become a NASCAR driver, Jeremy assaults a holiday camping spot with a Jaguar and much more.

Check out the trailer after the jump. And of course, we sure as hell can’t wait.

- By: Chris Chin

Source: Top Gear Transmission

On the December 28, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May will embark on a trade mission to India for this year’s Christmas special.

Here is a trailer for the special-edition Top Gear episode (make the jump).

- By: Omar Rana

The financial crisis with the world economy is indubitably being felt by nearly everyone, specifically in Great Britain where BBC Top Gear’s producer Andy Wilman has provided a little sneak preview for a new special that will air in December. According to Wilman’s words on the new episode, Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond will be taking up their biggest challenge yet: sorting out the battered British economy and balancing the country’s balance of-trade deficit.

Top Gear has been on hiatus since their last season aired in July, yet they’ve been hard at work recording Season 18, which is set to air in January of 2012 after the special.

So you may be wondering, what could three middle-aged petrolheads do to sort out Britain’s economy? Wilman said the idea is to take up UK Prime Minister David Cameron’s word that the UK must become a favored trading partner of India.

As a result, Clarkson, Hamster and Captain Slow will all be travelling to India with a budget of seven grand to buy a car and embark on a trading mission while representing the flag for the UKPLC.

“Our plan was to drive across India, drumming up interest in British goods, advertising the peerless standards of British skills, British nous, British Britishness,” said Wilman in his editorial. “We would make the Indians think: ‘No, we shall not buy mayonnaise from Belgium, but Angel Delight and Kendal Mint Cake from the British.’”

The episode is expected to air on December 28th on BBC2 and BBC HD in the UK. And after nearly a six month hiatus, we can’t wait to see the Top Gear three back in action.

- By: Chris Chin

Source: Top Gear

Seventeen seasons deep, Top Gear is returning for number eighteen in January. The show’s stars, Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond, were seen filming on the day of the announcement for the upcoming season.

The filiming was taking place at the Piazza Venezia in Rome, and later in Lecce, close to the Nardo high speed ring. Another trio accompanied the three that go by the familliar names of Noble M600, Lamborghini Aventador, and McLaren MP4-12C. Although its going to be a few months before the action hits TV screens, you can check out this teaser in the meantime.

- By: Alexandra Koken

Source: CarBuzz

Through the years, Top Gear UK American fans have been deprived of the best automotive show in the world. Our prayers have now been answered, well… sort of. BBC America is now looking to show us the best of the best of Top Gear UK following a voting session on BBCAmerica.com

“You’ve narrowed it down to the most ambitious, most ridiculous auto stunts the Top Gear guys have been able to pull off… or at least made a valiant effort to do so,” BBC said in a statement. “Amphibious cars? The race across London? The best driving road? The results are in. Now, the man behind the world’s biggest car show, Top Gear executive producer Andy Wilman, will lead the reveal, counting down what the fans have chosen as their…Top Gear Top 40.”

Top Gear Top 40 premieres Monday, November 28, with back-to-back premiere episodes at 8:00pm & 9:00pm ET/PT each week.

- By: Omar Rana

Remember the debacle between BBC’s Top Gear and Tesla Motors? No? Well, check out these articles to update yourself:

• Tesla Motors sues Top Gear over staged Roadster review
• Top Gear’s Executive Producer Andy Wilman speaks on Tesla Roadster case
• Elon Musk: Top Gear’s Tesla Roadster review was ‘completely phony’ and f*cked up

A new report states that Tesla Motors has lost a major part of its high court libel claim against Top Gear, but is still suing the show for “malicious falsehood” over the episode that showed Jeremy Clarkson driving the Roadster.

At a high court ruling in London today, Mr Justice Tugendhat said that no viewer of the show would have compared the Roadster’s performance on the show’s track to its real-life performance on a public road.

Check out the episode after the jump.

Tugendhat said:“In my judgment, the words complained of are wholly incapable of conveying any meaning at all to the effect that the claimant [Tesla] misled anyone. This is because there is a contrast between the style of driving and the nature of the track as compared with the conditions on a public road […] are so great that no reasonable person could understand that the performance on the [Top Gear] track is capable of a direct comparison with a public road.”

Tesla argues that it has seen a ‘continuing impact’ from the episode on its reputation. Tugendhat reserved Tesla’s malicious falsehood claim. A verdict is expected within weeks.

- By: Omar Rana

Source: Guardian

While the Top Gear crew is currently in India filming their upcoming Christmas special, Jeremy Clarkson is teasing something else that you might want to throw in a Christmas stocking of an auto enthusiasts.

Clarkson has just released a trailer of his new DVD special called ‘Powered Up,’ which will be available to buy on Nov. 7.

In the meantime, Clarkson has released a bunch of out-take videos and a trailer at TopGear.com. The publication will be putting up one every Monday for the next four weeks to keep you excited.

The first features the super-lightweight, 519-hp/ton British single-seater, the BAC Mono.

Hit the jump for the trailer and the first out-take video.

- By: Omar Rana

Well, thanks God for virtual reality. Forza Motorsport 4 is on the way and the developers of the game believe that it can “provide a safe haven for car lovers and adrenaline seekers to challenge modern conventions and keep the fire of our car culture burning.”

Forza Motorsport 4 teamed up with Jeremy Clarkson for a new short film titled ‘Endangered Species’ a story about the world of enthusiasts slowly coming to an end.

Hit the jump for the video.

Forza invites you to download the Xbox Live demo – Xbox LIVE Gold members can download the Forza Motorsport 4 demo right now while all other Xbox LIVE members will be able to download it starting on Oct. 7.

The Xbox LIVE demo includes:

2010 Ferrari 458 Italia
2012 BMW M5
2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI
1970 Mercury Cougar Eliminator
2009 Pagani Zonda Cinque

- By: Omar Rana

TomTom, in a joint venture with BBC Worldwide is releasing a new device with the option of hearing Jeremy Clarkson’s voice instead of the normal neutral tones on navigation systems.

Clarkson’s voice option adds quite a bit of character to the driving instructions, as he comments “There’s a tone of voice I use when ordering people to do things, so ‘I said left, left, I said left’, you know, that kind of thing. It’s not a gentle sat nav. voice, put it like that.”

A Stig mode, for Top Gear’s millions of fans, is also available, as part of the numerous guest appearances from musicians and actors prior to this edition.

- By: Alexandra Koken

Source: Telegraph

Remember the Top Gear segment from last season where the Clarkson, Hamster and Captain Slow attempted to make their own trains out of cars? Well, if you haven’t you can view the segment after the jump.

For those of you who do know what I’m talking about, the one of the two concoctions from the “ambitious but rubbish” crew, the XJS “Sports Train,” will be put on display at the World of Top Gear Exhibition at Beaulieu in Hampshire, England.

The World of Top Gear Exhibition has a large collection of the creations made from the TV show’s hosts’ oddly projects. So if you’re ever in the area and a fan of the show, be sure to check it out!

- By: Chris Chin

If long down-time periods between Top Gear UK seasons keep you from getting your usual dosage of Jeremy Clarkson, you can now resort to another source…that is if you have an Xbox360 and Forza 4.

Top Gear UK and Microsoft have been working together create a partnership between the pokey British motoring show and Forza Motorsport, one of best critically acclaimed racing simulators money can buy.

As part of the partnership, Jeremy will write and vocally record his own witty takes on a series of cars, from the likes of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG to the McLaren F1. In a recent demonstration of some of Forza’s new features like Jeremy’s reviews, Dan Greenawalt, a spokesman for Turn 10 Studios or the developer of Forza Motorsport 4, played a soundbite that consisted of a voiceover review of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. Then at the touch of a button on the Xbox360 Controller, Greenawalt cut off Jeremy’s review. If you were to do that to Clarkson himself in the flesh, he would probably cut your face off.

Additionally, another new feature for the next version of Forza is AutoVista, which Greenawalt says is a virtual car showroom program that allows players who have Xbox360 Kinect controllers to open car doors, examin the wheels and look under the hoods.

“We thought about how people want to interact with cars, to move around one, open the doors, kick the tires,” said Mr. Greenawalt. “Our goal with this is to turn gamers into car lovers, and car lovers into gamers.”

Forza Motorsport 4 is pegged for a release date of October 11th in the US.

- By: Chris Chin

Source: NYT

Pretty much any car enthusiast has Top Gear listed as one of their favorite TV shows because quite simply, what’s cooler than just fooling around with a bunch of fast and expensive cars, or asked to do the impossible with old jalopies and getting paid and famous while doing it?

That’s why MyVoucherCodes.co.uk’s latest poll should be no surprise. About 1,356 men in the UK were asked what their dream job was to get a better idea of what the UK population’s male career preferences are. And the results are no surprise. A Top Gear presenter rings in at first in a list of the top ten dream jobs wanted by males in the UK.

“It’s quite interesting to see that Top Gear presenter has beaten professional sportsman to take first place for men’s dream job,” said the company’s chairman Mark Pearson. “However, when you think about the injuries and amount of training that goes into being a professional sportsman, compared with a life of driving and testing cars, it doesn’t seem all that surprising!”

To see the full list, check it out after the jump.

1. Top Gear presenter (29%)
2. Video games tester (25%)
3. Professional sportsman (24%)
4. Actor (21%)
5. Formula 1 driver (19%)
6. Fireman (17%)
7. Stockbroker (16%)
8. Pilot (14%)
9. Spy (12%)
10. Inventor (11%)

- By: Chris Chin

Source: Metro

That’s right, if you’re a car nut or in any way a car enthusiast, then you were glued to your TV or computer screen this evening catching the premiere of Top Gear Season 17. While the whole episode is worth watching, one of the most exciting segments was Jeremy Clarkson’s review of the new 2012 BMW 1-Series M Coupe where he pins the new M model against the Porsche Cayman R and the Lotus Evora.

You can check out Jermey’s review of the 2012 BMW 1-Series M Coupe after the jump before the video is yanked from YouTube.

Click here for more news on the BMW 1-Series M Coupe.

Refresher: The 2012 BMW 1-Series M Coupe is powered by a 3.0L inline 6-cylinder twin-turbocharged engine making 335-hp and a maximum torque of 332 lb-ft. Mated to a 6-speed manual transmission, the 2012 BMW 1-Series M Coupe goes from 0 to 62 mph in 4.9 seconds (0 to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds) with a top speed of 155 mph.Prices start at $47,010.

2012 BMW 1-Series M Coupe:

2012 BMW 1-Series M Coupe:

- By: Omar Rana

BBC has just released two addition trailers for Top Gear Season 17, which will hit your television set on June 26.

The first trailer shows James May driving the Aston Martin Virage along with the Mini Cooper Countryman JCW off-roader. The second shows us how bored The Stig has been since season 16 ended.

Hit the jump for the two trailers.

Check out the first trailer here.

Top Gear Season 17 – Trailer No. 1:

Top Gear Season 17 – Trailer No. 2:

- By: Omar Rana

Us enthusiasts can always rely on some entertaining reads from the Top Gear crew, especially Jeremy Clarkson. And although he can be rather brash, biased and extreme with some of his opinions, he can make some valid points.

For example, Mr. Clarkson decided to share his piece of mind on the new and upcoming 2012 Volkswagen Beetle, which he predicts will be a tough sell. That said, I can’t help but agree with him.

First time at egmCarTech? Visit our home page for the latest news.

Although there is decent interest in the Beetle, most of them tend to either be women, hippies, enthusiasts or just plain socially confused. Other than that, there’s not much appeal to the Bug to allow for its expansion. And VW claims that the next Beetle will be far sportier than Beetles of the past.

What do you readers make of the new Beetle? Do you agree or disagree with Clarkson’s take on the Beetle? Let us know in the post comment section.

Click here for more news on the Volkswagen Beetle.

Refresher: The 2012 Volkswagen Beetle is offered with three powertrain choices including a 2.5L gasoline 5-cylinder, 2.0 TDI Clean Diesel and a 2.0L TSI turbocharged gasoline unit.  While a 6-speed manual is standard on the 2.0 TDI and 2.0 TSI, Volkswagen’s DSG 6-speed dual-clutch automatic is available. A 5-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic is available on the 2.5L models. The 2012 Volkswagen Beetle 2.4L 5-cylinder model produces 170-hp / 177 lb-ft of torque. Mated to a 5-speed manual, fuel-economy comes in at 22/31 mpg (city/highway) and 22/29 mpg when mated to a 6-speed automatic. The Beetle 2.0 TSI is the sportiest Beetle and is powered by a 2.0 4-cylinder turbo making 200-hp and 207 lb-ft of torque. The 2.0L TDI Clean Diesel, is known as the most fuel-efficient Beetle ever. Power comes from a 2.0L 4-cylinder diesel engine making 140-hp / 236 lb-ft of torque. Estimated fuel-economy comes in at 22/40 mpg or 33 mpg combined. Prices start at $19,765.

- By: Chris Chin

Source: TopGear

BBC has released the trailer for Top Gear Season 17, which will air on June 26. What can we expect?

According to Top Gear Blog: “Well, there’s some affordable performance cars, some electric cars, some actual racing, some proper demolition, some silly cars, and Top Gear’s attempt to improve public transport, which I think is going to be absolutely brilliant. Did you see some of the clips on the Formula One last Sunday of us in the hot hatches going round the Monaco Grand Prix Circuit? That’s part of the new series, and that was great, very intimidating.”

Hit the jump for the trailer.

- By: Roman Bronfenbrener

Source: Final Gear

It’s been too long since the last season of Top Gear. With plans of coming back in June, one would think that its cutting it close when the other Three Stooges were spotted in Tuscany, Italy just recently.

They were filming a scene for the new season and were next to three really hot hatches: the 208hp Citroen DS3 Racing, the 160-hp Fiat 500C Abarth Essesse, and the 200-hp Renault Clio RS.

By the looks of the pictures, it could be just another day in the neighborhood with the three mucking about and chewing each other out while they compare three cars. Whatever it was they were filming, we can be sure that the segment will be epic. Top Gear is said to return sometime in mid- to late June. I’m getting antsy…

Top Gear in Italy with three hot hatchbacks:

- By: Chris Chin

Source: AutoJunk (via CarScoop)

Missing Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May? Well, you’ll have to wait just a little less than a month (June 12 to be exact) to see the trio back on BBC when they launch the 17th season of our favorite TV show – Top Gear.

Clarkson and May were recently caught test-driving a Nissan LEAF before they ran out of charge near Lincolnshire during a cross county trip in the LEAF and Peugeot iOn electric-cars.

We’re looking forward to the season with much anticipation.

- By: Roman Bronfenbrener

Source: Final Gear