Host Adam Ferrara has confirmed Top Gear USA will be back for a third season. The comedian-turned television personality broke the news during an event in New York City last night, according to Inside Line.

The show is slowly gaining momentum in the U.S., and this season saw its best ratings yet. One episode drew an impressive 2.1 million viewers. Of course, that’s a small figure compared to the legions who tune in or download the original “Top Gear,” but with the U.S. hosts getting more comfortable with each other every episode, we’ll hardly turn down more car-oriented programming.

Then again, Top Gear USA may be your only TG fix over the next few months. Jeremy Clarkson just confirmed the original show won’t be back until 2013. According to Ferrara, production on season three starts this weekend.

SOURCE via Inside Line

Jeremy Clarkson did an 11-minute interview with a South African radio station that has a name to match its geographic location. Clarkson discussed what it took to make the Top Gear segment that had them drivng around the Monaco GP circuit on a race weekend, the coming Ron Howard movie Rush about the 1976 F1 battle between Niki Lauda and James Hunt and Top Gear Festival 2012 “with an array of cars that has never been seen anywhere.”

But what has caught everyone’s attention – everyone except for the radio interviewer, that is – was Clarkson saying that the festival would be “about the only time” he, Hammond and May would work together in 2012 because “there’s no Top Gear this year.” There’s video of the interview below, the bombshell at about 8:10. Since it’s all a bit confusing, Mr. Clarkson himself has set the record straight via his personal Twitter account, confirming that Top Gear will return in January of 2013, though there will be a Christmas special some time before that.

The reason petrolheads will be missing out on their BBC fix? Simon Cowell, apparently. “Sunday nights will be full of fat people singing,” said Clarkson. “Top Gear is a medium size van. Cowell is a juggernaut. When he has finished his singing competition, our new series will start.”

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The Toyota Hilux can attribute a fair portion of the its celebrity to the Top Gear crew’s exuberant doting. After attempting to destroy the truck via a smattering of inhumane methods, traversing the frozen wastes of Antarctica and braving the fires of Icelandic volcanoes, the show has given the globe-conquering Toyota more love than nearly any other model.

It looks as if that won’t slow down anytime soon. According to Toyota, Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond will once again take to the wheel of a specially-prepared Hilux for an all new challenge.

Just what will that task entail? Toyota is keeping its mouth shut at the moment, and Top Gear isn’t typically one for spilling secrets early. Judging by the photos, however, it appears as if the vehicle will need to withstand substantial water crossings and support the trio for at least one night in the wild. Color us excited. Hit the jump for some of the vehicle’s finer moments on the show. Read more…

The BBC has come out in defense of Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson after the Reverend Graeme Anderson, vicar of St. Mary’s Church in Radcliffe-on-Trent, complained that the entertainer “trivialized, belittled and cheapened” Jesus Christ. Clarkson has a long history of rousing the ire of different groups, and Anderson specifically took issue with a segment in which Clarkson took the wheel of the KTM X-Bow. After hearing Clarkson’s exclamations of “God almighty” and “Jesus wept,” Anderson says he was both surprised and upset. The vicar has since vowed to never watch Top Gear again.

After petitioning both Clarkson and the BBC for an apology, the network responded by saying the speech is part of everyday language, and that while its program strives to portray society as it really is, it respects the “fundamental human right to exercise freedom of thought, conscience and religion.”

Clarkson has remained uncharacteristically mute on the dustup.

Just when we were starting to think that there is nothing on television worth watching, we get our first look at Top Gear series 18. Beyond the jump is a 30 second teaser of the upcoming season, with a glimpse at more episodes filled with Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond.

The cars are there as well, including a very yellow Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe Black Series, NASCAR Top Gear style and some crazy man who jumps out of a plane with a powered wing attached to his back. Oh, and it seems Jezza attacks a trailer park in a Jaguar XJ. Interesting. Hit the jump to watch the action-packed promo for yourself.

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Pretty much every time Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson opens his mouth these days, someone takes offense, which does make it hard to tell whether Clarkson is actually offensive.

The latest complaints have come after the Top Gear Christmas special, in which Clarkson and his posse go to India on a “trade mission.” According to The Telegraph, the BBC has received 23 complaints about the show, in which Clarkson is charged with making insensitive remarks about Indian clothing, trains, food and history.

Clarkson’s “funny” bits on the show included dropping his pants in front of Indian dignitaries and outfitting a Jaguar XJS with a toilet seat and then driving around Indian slums, according to the report. Clarkson reportedly described the Jag as “perfect for India because everyone who comes here gets the trots.”

While we haven’t seen the episode, we do know that the XJS has a reputation for crapping out with some frequency. Before you fire up the torrents, check out the episode trailer after the jump.

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Mark Thompson, director general of the BBC, has been forced to go to bat for Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson after the television host jokingly suggested striking public sector workers should be shot in front of their own families. Yep. That sounds like Clarkson to us.

According to the UK’s Guardian and Telegraph dailies, members of the UK Parliament then began calling for the government-owned BBC to oust Jezza, with Labor Party member Jim Sheridan asking whether or not Clarkson was a luxury the BBC couldn’t afford. Around 32,000 people sent complaints to the network about the host’s disparaging remarks, but Thompson countered, suggesting that Clarkson is one of the UK’s chief cultural exports at the moment.

The BBC executive also said far more people would be upset to see the gregarious host disappear from Top Gear than had complained about his flippant remarks.

This is just the latest episode in a long line of Clarkson’s skirmishes with various nationalities, religions and organizations, but it doesn’t look like the British personality is going anywhere any time soon.

SOURCE via The Guardian

The Top Gear crew has been spotted filming in China. James May and Jeremy Clarkson have caused a stir in Beijing as they take to the wheel in the newest vehicles available from Chinese automakers.

Judging from the photos that have surfaced so far, it looks like the intrepid duo spent some time in exquisite pieces of engineering like the JAC Binyue and the Greatwall Haval M2, while also taking a look at some of the country’s vehicles that infringe on the copyrights of pay tribute to cars manufactured around the globe. That meant taking a gander at hardware like the Smart ForTwo-inspired Shuanghuan Noble, the BMW X5-flavored Shuanghuan SCO and the Mini Cooper-themed Lifan 320.

The episode is likely to surface next season, and we’re betting it will feature plenty of insightful commentary from all three of the hosts. If this seems like the setup for yet another international incident, you’d be right. But isn’t that why we keep watching? Head over to Car News China for a look at the full gaggle of photos.

Top Gear magazine has officially named the Land Rover Range Rover Evoque its Car Of The Year for 2011 after snagging top honors in the SUV category. Perhaps even more impressively, Jeremy Clarkson also named the Evoque his favorite vehicle of 2011. The compact luxury SUV faced off against the likes of the BMW 1 Series M Coupe, McLaren MP4-12C and Ferrari FF among more common offerings. Top Gear celebrated in classic style by taking the Evoque on an African adventure through the deserts and mountains of Morocco. Sure beats handing an anonymous executive some cheesy trophy on stage.

Readers can find the full tale in any of the magazine’s 29 international editions. Clarkson was joined by Richard Hammond, James May, Top Gear magazine editor-in-chief Charlie Turner and the publication’s full editorial and road testing staff in picking the 2011 car of the year. The crew isn’t the only batch of writers to honor the Evoque. The model has soaked up 34 international awards since it debuted, so you can see why it’s that good.

Jeremy Clarkson says a lot of things, some funny, some not, but all designed to get a rise out of people. We loved it, be it good or bad, and we always take it with a pint of salt and a big laugh. This time, however, he may have crossed a line and offended some narrow-minded people, like always.

“I would take them outside and execute them in front of their families,” said Clarkson, referring to striking workers in Great Britain. “I’d have them all shot. I mean, how dare they go on strike when they’ve got these gilt-edged pensions that are going to be guaranteed while the rest of us have to work for a living?”

While we’re not sure whether Clarkson was “working” while making the comments on BBC television’s One Show, it certainly seems like the celebrity host of Top Gear was joking. Jezza was commenting on the Union workers strike, and that statement was obviously a very big sarcasm, as he was also praising them before making that statement.

But a British union that represents over a million public sector workers isn’t laughing, according to an Associated Press report. Dave Prentis, the general secretary of UNISON, said Clarkson’s comments “were totally outrageous, and they cannot be tolerated.” His group has demanded Clarkson be fired immediately.

While Clarkson’s off-color comments are legendary, his latest gaffe even came to the attention of Prime Minister David Cameron, who vouched for his friend, according to the AP. To his credit, Clarkson has apologized, and so has the BBC. Then again, the truth always hurts, right?

To watch video of Clarkson’s comments, click past the jump. Read more…