Top Gear: Jaguar E-Type, BMW 1-series M & Alice Cooper

Top Gear Series - back for Series 17 on Sunday As the nice man from the BBC who sent us the Top Gear Series 17 photos said, “The world’s favourite programme about cars and middle aged men falling over returns for a brand new series”; this Sunday 26th June 8pm. And what goodies do they have in store for us in the new TG series? Well, we already know about the Nissan LEAF jolly to Lincoln and the Hot Hatch expedition to Lucca (including a detour to drive the Monaco F1 Circuit), but neither of those will be in episode one.

News watch August 2010: today's industry news

Welcome to CAR Magazine's news aggregator as we round up the daily stories in the auto industry. Top tip: news summaries are added from the top hour-by-hourTuesday 31 August 2010• HSBC has sold its US car loan business to Spanish bank Santander, for an estimated £2.6bn in cash and assumed debt. The move sees the bank further distance itself from the collapsed US sub-prime market (Financial Times, subsription required) • Toll roads do not improve congestion, according to the Campaign For Better Transport. Its claims M6 toll road operator Midland Expressway Ltd is losing ‘tens of millions of pounds’ each year, while conditions on the original M6 have failed to improve (Campaign for Better Transport) Friday 27 August 2010• Spyker, which bought Saab earlier this year, has posted a €139m loss after tax in the first half of 2010 it announced today (Financial Times)• Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne says the business is performing strongly in the third quarter – and has ruled out selling Alfa Romeo.

Hyundai opens new Flagship Showroom

Hyundai has opened a new flagship showroom in Romford, Essex, boasting the largest showroom of any UK Hyundai dealers. Deep in the heart of south Essex lies a golden triangle – bounded by Romford, Brentwood and Chigwell – where the wildlife sports orange plumage and fluorescent teeth and endless worker ants stream in to the great metropolis down the A12 to earn a crust in their daily grind. What better place to park a thumping great dealership than in the path of Towie money and commuter traffic thought Bill Cook, Director of Hyundai dealers Essex Motor Company.