Incoming EU emissions laws have led Suzuki to stall Jimny sales in Europe. Supply of the Jimny SUV was already restricted, given the negative impact the car has on average fleet emissions. Dealers have been instructed to stop taking orders and, while supply will continue throughout 2020, it will only be in ‘very limited numbers’.

At present, the Jimny’s 1.5-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine produces 170g/km of CO2 when paired with an automatic gearbox. That’s more than the 370hp 3.0-litre turbocharged six-cylinder BMW M340i. The manual Jimny emits 154g/km.

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The rest of the Suzuki range should be getting some form of electrification soon, with 12- and 48-volt mild hybrid systems being introduced, and a more efficient engine may follow for the Jimny.

According to Autocar India, Suzuki may continue selling the car under the guise of an ‘N1’ commercial vehicle in 2021. This means it will go without back seats, but also won’t need to comply with the 95g/km EU fleet CO2 average rule.

Suzuki’s official statement reads: ‘Following on from recent media speculation and reports of the future of the Jimny model in Europe, Suzuki GB PLC would like to confirm that the model will remain on sale in the UK in very limited numbers throughout 2020’.

95g/km fleet average: understanding the rule

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Come 2021, average fleet emissions for larger car companies in Europe have to be below 95g/km. That means, in a very simplified example, if Suzuki sells two cars, with one being zero-emissions and the other emitting 150g/km, its fleet average will be 75g/km. If fleet averages are above 95g/km, carmakers will incur fines.

It is this method of averaging that has caused Suzuki to limit the number of Jimnys sold in the UK from its introduction. 

Lancia was once a motorsport superpower. From Le Mans to rallying, in the 1980s there wasn’t a race worth watching without a Martini-liveried Lancia putting in a shift. Now, Girardo & Co is offering an unprecedented collection of Martini Lancias for sale, priced at $7.5 million (£5.7 million). We look at the cars in detail, including period photos of these amazing machines in action.

Lancia Beta Montecarlo

This was Lancia’s submission to the Group 5 special production class of sports racers in the late 1970s and early 80s. Based on the diminutive Montecarlo road car – albeit very loosely – it was the marque’s first entry into racing for eight years when it debuted in 1979. A fan-favourite today, it rarely met the challenge of Porsche’s dominant 935.

This car, chassis 1009, was also the first works Lancia to race at Le Mans since the 1950s. It won its under-2.0-litre class in both 1981 and 1982.

Lancia LC1

The Beta’s reign was short-lived, as Group 5 special production made way for Group 6 dedicated prototypes. The LC1 was Lancia’s entry, installing a 400hp+ Abarth 1.4-litre turbocharged engine in a lightweight open-top chassis.

This LC1 was a force to be reckoned with, scoring an overall win at the 1982 Nurburgring 1,000km, with F1 aces Michele Alboreto and Riccardo Patrese at the helm.

Lancia LC2

The LC2 took things up a notch in 1983. Now in the monstrous Group C class, it ditched the four-cylinder turbo for a Ferrari V8 with two KKK turbochargers. It was good for 850hp in qualifying trim, but still wasn’t quite up to the might of Porsche’s legendary 956.

This car is actually the first LC2 made, for the 1983 season. It didn’t get off to a flying start, crashing out at Monza and retiring from Le Mans with turbo failure. Ever the underdog but hugely desirable, it’s one of the coolest pieces in the Campion Collection.

Lancia 037 Evo 2

Off the racetracks and into the wilderness, Lancia was a rallying superpower in the 80s. Like the Beta, the 037 also used the Montecarlo as a base, but to much greater effect. It won the 1983 World Rally Championship for Lancia, beating the legendary Audi Quattro.

However, the tide turned a year later, as all-wheel-drive started to dominate rallying. That’s why this particular car, a 1984 Evo 2, didn’t find the success of its 1983 predecessor.

Lancia Delta S4

The Delta S4 was Lancia’s all-wheel-drive answer, turning an agreeable hatchback into a turbocharged and supercharged mutant. All in, the Delta S4 racked up five rally wins during 1985 and 1986. It’s also infamous for being the car that ended Group B rallying. The class was abolished after a fatal accident with an S4 in 1986, which claimed the lives of Henri Toivonen and Sergio Cresto.

This particular car won the 1986 Rally 1,000 Miglia with reigning European Rally Champion Dario Cerrato at the wheel. World Rally Champions Markku Alen and Miki Biasion also tested in car number 208.

Lancia Delta HF Integrale

Now, perhaps the most famous racing Lancia. The post-S4 years for the Delta were fruitful, as the marque hit the ground running in the new Group A category. Juha Kankkunen and Miki Biasion took overall championship victories in 1987, 1988 and 1989.

This car, a 1988 Delta HF Integrale, helped Miki Biasion on his way to the top. It took overall victories at the Portugal Rally and USA Rally in 1988, helping Miki to a drivers’ championship and Lancia to the manufacturers’ championship. Lancia racing at its peak?

Martini Lancia racing cars: in pictures

Are petrol pumps sexist? A female private tutor from south west London certainly thinks so. She has complained publicly about how large the hand-held pumps are, and how they hurt her small hands.

Melanie Morgan posted on social media showing how she struggles to hold petrol pumps, accusing garages of ‘everyday sexism’. It was initially to ‘prove her point’ to her partner that filling up was difficult, even painful, because of the equipment – which she believes is designed mostly with men in mind.

The issue is even causing her to consider an electric car, in order to avoid using unwieldy petrol pumps ever again. 

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While her Smart with its small petrol tank isn’t so much of an issue, the large tank in the couple’s diesel van is more of a problem. “I know when I’m filling it up, I’m waiting for it to end,” Morgan told The Daily Mail.

“I’d come back to the van having got out and filled up and when I got back in I was flexing my hand, like when you’ve been writing a lot, and I was like ‘ooh actually that quite hurts’.

“I said this to my partner and he kind of laughed it off and I said ‘no really it hurts, you have to grip it really hard when you’ve got smaller hands. It’s ridiculous that that’s something I have to think about.”

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“It’s enough of a problem that I just don’t want to deal with it. But I should imagine for some people it is something they cannot do – if you are weaker or smaller than me.”

In America, many petrol pump nozzles go into the car and fill automatically, so the driver doesn’t have to hold a trigger. Likewise, at others, attendants come out and do it for you. Are these developments we want to see in the UK? Do you think Melanie has a point? Let us know…