‘Fifth Gear’ becomes a fifth wheel, will not be renewed

By Stephen Edelstein Published May 27, 2016

As Top Gear prepares for a relaunch and former hosts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May prep a competitor show called The Grand Tour, Britain’s other car show has just run out of gas. Say goodbye to Fifth Gear.

Host Tiff Needell announced the news in a series of tweets earlier this week. He said the episode recorded last Friday will be the last one ever, and there is “no news of any more.” When asked if he was simply leaving the show, Needell clarified that the show itself would not be renewed, adding “#money.”

Recommended Videos

“After an unbroken run of 29 years presenting either Top Gear or Fifth Gear it feels weird to not have any filming dates in my diary,” Needell said in a third tweet. Needell, along with co-hosts Vicki Butler-Henderson and Quentin Willson, joined Fifth Gear after the original BBC version of Top Gear was cancelled in 2001. Top Gear was then relaunched by Clarkson, who also hosted the original version, and others in 2002. Top Gear had run in a much more staid form since 1977.

Read more: Check out the trailer for Top Gear spinoff Extra Gear

In a sense then, Fifth Gear was the prototype for Clarkson, Hammond, and May’s The Grand Tour: a car show with a cast full of unemployed Top Gear hosts trying to keep doing what they were doing. It aired on Britain’s ITV commercial television network, and became a somewhat different show from Top Gear. It never had the BBC show’s budget, and focused more on straightforward car reviews than jokes and stunts. The show was briefly cancelled in 2009, but revived.

Fifth Gear also boasted more driving talent than Top Gear. Needell, Butler-Henderson, and former host Jason Plato are all accomplished racing drivers, with Needell having raced at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. That talent was on display as they thrashed cars in order to evaluate them. Clarkson, Hammond, and May never claimed to be professional drivers, relying on masked racer “The Stig” and guest stars to do anything above their ability levels.

It’s unclear where Needell, Butler-Henderson, and the rest of the Fifth Gear cast and crew will go from here, but hopefully they’ll land on their feet. Meanwhile, the new version of Top Gear helmed by Chris Evans is set to premiere next week, and The Grand Tour should appear on Amazon later this year.

Topics

Stephen Edelstein

Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

Cars

Eaton, Treehouse to boost home capacity for EV charging, energy storage

eaton treehouse ev charging news releases

Power-management firm Eaton likes to point out that when it launched in 1911, it invested in a new idea -- the very first gear-driven truck axle -- just at a time when both transportation and power management were on the cusp of dramatic change.
More than 113 years later, Eaton is again seeking to lead innovation in the current energy transition.
The power-management firm just signed a deal with Treehouse, an AI, software-enabled installation platform for electrification projects. The end goal: accelerating the electrification of homes for electric-vehicle (EV) charging, energy storage, or heat pumps, while seeking more efficiency and cost savings.
“At Eaton, we’re all-in on the energy transition and we’re making it happen at scale by delivering breakout technologies and industry collaborations needed to delight customers and make it more accessible and affordable,” says Paul Ryan, general manager of Connected Solutions and EV Charging at Eaton.
The partnership will ensure consumers are provided with accurate and fast pricing, as well as access to licensed electricians to deliver code-compliant installations, the companies say.
The collaboration also integrates into Eaton’s “Home as a Grid” approach, which supports the two-way flow of electricity, enabling homeowners to produce and consume renewable energy when they need it, Eaton says.
“For more than a century, power has flowed in one direction—from centralized power plants into homes,” the company says. “Today, there’s a new reality thanks to solar, electric-vehicle charging, energy storage, digitalization, and more.”
Projects to change homes and EVs into energy hubs have multiplied recently.
Last month, Nissan joined ChargeScape, a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) venture that is already backed by BMW, Ford, and Honda. ChargeScape’s software wirelessly connects EVs to power grids and utility companies, enabling consumers to receive financial incentives for temporarily pausing charging during periods of high demand. Eventually, consumers should also be able to sell the energy stored in their EVs’ battery back to the power grid.
In August, GM announced that V2G technology will become standard in all its model year 2026 models. And Tesla CEO Elon Musk has hinted that Tesla could introduce V2G technology for its vehicles in 2025.

Cars

Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and EVs offer big incentives as year nears its end

chrysler dodge jeep ev incentives record my24 hybrid gallery 04 exterior desktop jpg image 1440

It’s no secret that automakers and dealerships typically climb over each other to offer the best incentives before the year ends. But this year’s sales season is expected to be particularly competitive, with slowing sales translating to greater urgency to clear inventory.

According to research from Kelley Blue Book, the respected vehicle-valuation firm, overall incentives on new vehicle sales were up by 60% in October compared to the previous year.

Cars

Jeep, Ram EREVs will get 690-mile range with new Stellantis platform

A 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger sits in a vineyard.

Stellantis, the giant automotive group, is betting big on extending the range of both its hybrid and fully electric vehicles (EVs).

Last month, the company, which owns the Jeep, Dodge, and Ram brands in the U.S., invested nearly $30 million into an advanced wind tunnel at its research center in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The goal is to study airflow around a vehicle’s wheels and tires to further optimize its EVs and boost their range.