Jay Leno reveals electric Focus to be used on his new show

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A specially-built battery electric Ford Focus will be driven through Jay Leno's  new show, premiering Sept. 14 on NBC, by celebrity guests who are competing in the quot;Green Car Challengequot; for best track times.
Ford's hybrid and battery electric vehicle program team worked together with Ford Racing to develop the special BEV for the show. It took three weeks to build the car and another couple of weeks to properly tune the suspension so it could be driven fast on a racetrack. The development work was done at Ford's Michigan Proving Grounds in Romeo, Mich.
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5355346/jay-leno...-focus-concept

They have to include a green angle, or that segment will be cut faster than a hippie's hair in boot camp.

I think it is a good compromise.  Top Gear didn't go for a performance car because it'd be to expensive to constantly fix and the quot;starsquot; would constantly wreck it.

From what I read yesterday on the new show, this show will almost be Top Gear like in structure.  It will have short clip movies, a live audience, one interview, one band, and the star in the electric car.  There are supposedly some American (only?) cars and memorabilia on set.  Granted it is not a car show, and it will not have any controversy (ie it wont be as much fun), but it should be entertaining.  
Matt

I know nothing is original, but come on Top Gear already does that. How about a new idea.


Originally Posted by hepcatz
I know nothing is original, but come on Top Gear already does that. How about a new idea.

No show in America has it, and I'd wager that about 90% of the people who watch the Leno Show will think it is a new, clever and original idea.  I've no statistics to back this up, but I dont think too many mainstream American TV viewers know what Top Gear is.
Matt


Originally Posted by Jax-MX5
I think it is a good compromise.  Top Gear didn't go for a performance car because it'd be to expensive to constantly fix and the quot;starsquot; would constantly wreck it.

Nah Top Gear has tons of money, if they can fly or ship a bunch of cars to Iceland or the Isle of Man to drive around they could easily have a higher performance car.
I think they keep it slow and basic as to avoid headlines like quot;Helen Mirren killed in Top Gear racetrack stuntquot;.
As it is a lot of the quot;starsquot; get pretty crossed up in a 80 HP car....
Analogeezer


Originally Posted by Analogeezer
Nah Top Gear has tons of money, if they can fly or ship a bunch of cars to Iceland or the Isle of Man to drive around they could easily have a higher performance car.
I think they keep it slow and basic as to avoid headlines like quot;Helen Mirren killed in Top Gear racetrack stuntquot;.
As it is a lot of the quot;starsquot; get pretty crossed up in a 80 HP car....
Analogeezer

BTW Helen Mirren turned in a heck of a lap time on Top Gear! If you don't keep it slow and basic, it's amazing what people can do with high powered machinery.  Check out this site for some examples.
newphotos/exotics/
Further proof that having money and status does not necessarily mean you can drive a performance car.

Jay isn't afraid of comparisons.  I daresay Clarkson, Hammond and May aren't either.
In either show, it's the quality of the FUN being had that dictates success and acceptance.  (Which is why I predict Conan will be out in less than a year.)
Actually, I think it was Jay's review video of the Ariel Atom where he sent us off to look at Jeremy Clarkson's own vid-test of the car that put me onto Top Gear in the first place.
But gee whiz, why can't either show, or both shows for that matter, do their guest-lap segments in a Miata?  Streetable, affordable, tossable, economical AND sporty.  It even comes in GREEN.

Just like Top Gear, it's not so much about the car (or what type of car) as it is about having fun with the guest.  The guest cringing while watching their lap, trying to beat someone else's time on the board, quot;commentsquot; made during the lap and the driving styles all provide the laughs and entertainment - not the car.
Leno has also ben supportive of alternative cars.  His thoughts are that this will leave gas available for the weekend muscle / sports cars.
So will there be a quot;Stigquot; to train the guests?


Originally Posted by jay dub
Just like Top Gear, it's not so much about the car (or what type of car) as it is about having fun with the guest.  
Leno has also ben supportive of alternative cars.  His thoughts are that this will leave gas available for the weekend muscle / sports cars.
So will there be a quot;Stigquot; to train the guests?
Hats off to whoever created the concept of The Stig at Top Gear.  Just another creative element of that show.  Loved the episode where The Stig took public transportation in a race across London.  Also the Isle of Mann episode where they brought him over to race, and he entered the airport lying on the luggage conveyor and was moved by handtruck to drive the cars.  Classic.


Originally Posted by KAG Miata
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What's with the two jerks (jalopnik jerks) standing on either side of Jay?  
RonO


Originally Posted by 84im
What's with the two jerks (jalopnik jerks) standing on either side of Jay?  
RonO

You said it, jerks.  If you operate an auto blog, one of the last guys you should disrespect is Leno.  In a world of Hollywood fakes, he's a true blue car guy.


Originally Posted by MX-5.0
From what I read yesterday on the new show, this show will almost be Top Gear like in structure.  It will have short clip movies, a live audience, one interview, one band, and the star in the electric car.  There are supposedly some American (only?) cars and memorabilia on set.  Granted it is not a car show, and it will not have any controversy (ie it wont be as much fun), but it should be entertaining.  
Matt

Leno bores the snot out of me.  I cant see how this show would even be watchable.  And to rip off Top Gears idea, and then put it in a show that isnt even about cars doesnt make a lick of sense to me.


Originally Posted by muti007
Leno bores the snot out of me...

Ha, I couldn't agree more. I'll give him that he really knows his automotive's, but his comedy just screams, quot;lamequot;. Conan is just silly, ...but at least it's sorta entertaining, ...if I'm in the mode, ...which is rare.


Originally Posted by jay dub
So will there be a quot;Stigquot; to train the guests?

Justin Bell.

Originally Posted by muti007
Leno bores the snot out of me.  I cant see how this show would even be watchable.  And to rip off Top Gears idea, and then put it in a show that isnt even about cars doesnt make a lick of sense to me.

So I was willing to give it all the benefit of the doubt until I watched myself.  I was disappointed when the US Top Gear was pulled, but after seeing the Green Car Challenge perhaps it was for the best.  What is wrong with TV production execs in the US?  I understand copying shows from other countries.  There are lots of them here, but why do we have to be a caricature of the original?  Does our programming really have to be aimed at such a low level?

Well jpre, to be fair, there are many show originally from the U.S. that's copied overseas. Although most of which was from a long time ago.

Wow, this segment is very lame compared to Top Gear's Star in a Car.  After viewing this, it's a good thing that NBC didn't do a US Top Gear.  The franchise would've never recovered.
video/...races/1158844/


Originally Posted by Silver MX-5
Well jpre, to be fair, there are many show originally from the U.S. that's copied overseas. Although most of which was from a long time ago.

Hmmm.  I never thought of that as I'm only primarily familiar with programming in the US.  But I guess I am trying to comment on what I'm seeing currently.  I'm being a little hard.  The Office seems to be killing it and keeping it up.  American Idol seems like a reasonable copy.  The Green Car Challenge was just _so_ bad.  I want to know how many people who voted in the poll who said they were glad Leno was including cars in his new show would change their vote after seeing that segment.  None of this is commentary on Drew Barrymore.  She was as good as she usually is the whole time.  I still think the show should have a driving segment.  Just not that, not that I think they can change it after putting as much effort in to it as they have.


Originally Posted by KAG Miata
Wow, this segment is very lame compared to Top Gear's Star in a Car.  After viewing this, it's a good thing that NBC didn't do a US Top Gear.  The franchise would've never recovered.
video/...races/1158844/

Ugh, I can't watch.  That was just painful.


Originally Posted by jpre
...American Idol seems like a reasonable copy...

I thought the same with this one, being created by Simon and all. I believe it was originally aired here though and then copied in many countries throughout the world, GB included.
I think the one that's bothered me was when I lived in Japan, I loved this show called, quot;Takeshi's Castlequot;. It's rebroadcasted here (among a dozen other countries) as quot;MXCquot; which is even funnier, but then ABC tried to make a copy with quot;Wipeoutquot;. That was dumb.


Originally Posted by WacoJosh
Ugh, I can't watch.  That was just painful.

+1.  I can't believe I made it to the laps... I stopped it midway through the 2nd lap.
Utter trash and sadly a justifyable reason for Clarkson to laugh at us all.
Matt

Well... as much as i think Drew Barrymore is sweet, the segment in the car was lame. The show's not too bad though, could be worse, but I'd love to see something truly automotive. Must have looked better on paper.
It was nice to see the excerpt from the movie though. it was filmed within a few miles of my area, as MI has had significant tax incentives to make movies and Drew took advantage of it. (Several movies were made in my city lately, and a film with Hillary Swank was just done 2 blocks from my house. Looking forward to that. Still a little impressed by this, old hat to those of you from LA and Toronto I'm sure.)
Actually someone from the movie became rather ill while filming here, and not to name names, my group took care of them while they were here...cool. We tried not to be star-struck. Sadly Drew didn't mention this in the interview.