Top Gear Filming in Cold Cold Beijing
Beijing is cold, and gray, and foggy, it’s basically Beijing as per usual but with unusually bad pollution this week which has led to the airport being shut down for a few days and hundreds of flights being cancelled, basically, Beijing’s air has turned into a thick diesel soup. So it’s not exactly a great week to be in Beijing and not a brilliant week to be smoking in an already polluted capital, but this has not put the Top Gear team off filming a segment on Chinese cars in China, James May and Jeremy Clarkson are in Beijing this week filming a filming a short special on Chinese cars. A netizen has been following the two over the course of a few days and posting pictures on line, the netizen in question was quick to comment that James May is looking somewhat portly these days.
From the pictures it looks like Top Gear are testing a JAC sedan, Greatwall Hover M2, Greatwall Coolbear, Geely China Dragon, FAW-Etsong Maestro, Little Noble, Double Ring SCEO, and a BYD F0 – however, their Chinese counterparts over at Top Gear China released a list of vehicles on their official Weibo channel a few weeks ago way ahead of Top Gear’s arrival (to the left).
So what can we expect from the Top Gear Two when the show finally hits the airwaves in the early stages of 2012? As Jeremy left the UK as a media storm cloud gathered over his comments regarding striking workers and the most effective measures to control their strike actions it emerged that Jeremy is under a lot of strain, although looks to be having a good time in Beijing.
The Maestro is likely to be rubbished by Clarkson, the car was never that good in its original form (unless it was an MG version) but the Chinese version came equipped with an under powered 1.3L Toyota engine and was made in Qingdao by a cigarette manufacturer that had a great vision of people buying its cars and smoking at the same time, obviously it was not a great seller and these examples are becoming more and more rare. Austin-Rover products have been the butt of many Top Gear jokes before so the Maestro is likely to be on the receiving end of more than its fair share in Beijing this week – and rightfully so.
Top Gear’s staff are likely to conclude that all though Chinese cars are not exactly on par with BMW’s, VAG’s or PSA’s at the moment, they are getting there and giving it a few more years we will see some major in key areas – engineering, design, and marketing.
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Hi Ash, I also see a Guangzhou Trumpchi, a MG 6, a Lifan 320. Note that the Cool Bear, the Geely China Dragon and the FAW Etsong are out of production, while the status of the Shuanghuan Sceo and Hongxing Noble is very unclear.
Curious to see the program! Greetings Erik
What is happening at Double Ring?
Hi Ash and Erik,
According to gasgoo Peri is also out of production as of September 2010.
And Ash it seems like the export of the Noble has breathed new life into the once legally challenged Shuanghuan.
They are not going to say anything nice, you can be sure of.
Doubtful they will have much nice to say but it should be entertaining.
Knowing Clarkson it will be piss taking galore mostly around the xeroxing of cars to produce the Cool Bear and so on. May should be a little more objective and compliment the odd car (think Dacia Sandero) and indeed compare it to a Dacia Sandero. Will be amusing for us westerners, as for what the Chinese will think? I guess that depends on your sense of humour. Yikes.
Given views here in the UK on censorship in china they might go the opposite way to the way you would expect – and are hugely complimentary towards the cars.
In a comedic way, pointing out the various flaws as “Features.”
One wonders why they chose Huoyun, and its three wheeler EV version, instead of its electric four wheeled Smart knock-off. If they really wanted an established electric mobile, the Happy Messenger would have been the one. It even boasts an export record.
The absence of Chang’an and its BenBen, is glaring, especially when they stretched to include the low volume Sichuan (Maestro-based)Yema.
Oh, and did they get their Hafei and FAW Lubaos mixed up when they created the list?
I hope their hosts treat them to a good time at the KTVs so they’ll have something nice to say…
In all seriousness, that’s pretty cool that they’re here. I’d sure like to meet them.
Top gear is about comedy and entertainment, not providing any kinda of facts or analysis. They have picked their cars with that in mind. Don’t expect them to come to any reasonable kind of conclusion. That just isn’t their style.
Actually Top Gear offers a great deal of solid facts. Many car manufactures offer their well made cars to TG for review as the show has great influence on price and sales. On the flip side, many manufacturers are afraid of a negative review from TG as it can kill the car while on the production line. China is brave to offer up its cars. It is safe to say they will have mostly negative comments. But there is a reason the majority of cars on the road here in China are imports.
Not too sure how this will pan out but the Indian special is the best I have seen yet.
With there being so many cars it could be a 2-3 part series on the Chinese ones…… guessing 2.
It won’t be a multi-part, it will probably be either a single episode about traveling across china with a section on the cars. Or it will be like the Communist Cars episode.