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Jamie Chadwick recently became the first woman to drive a hypercar at Le Mans, a year after making her debut in the secondary class of the fabled 24-hour race.

Many women have competed in this iconic event across the decades, yet the best female finish has stayed unsurpassed for almost a century.

"For the first time two women drivers will take part," we said in our 1930 Le Mans preview, "which will be interesting." Whether that comment was loaded is open to interpretation, but if so we were humbled by Marguerite Mareuse and Odette Siko bringing their Bugatti T40 home in seventh.

Their 1931 reprise was ended early by disqualification for a refuelling infringement, but in 1932 Siko achieved that record result: fourth overall and first in the 2-litre class in a supercharged Alfa Romeo 6C shared with grand prix star Louis 'Sabipa' Charavel.

Again, though, she was unlucky a year later: Siko was putting in "quite a good performance" in the initial hours but the next morning suffered a "sensational accident".

"Coming through the pinewoods towards Arnage at 75mph, the car suddenly got broadside on, crashed successively into two substantial trees, and then hit a third which was cut down six feet from the ground. They fell across the road in the track of Driscoll's Aston Martin.

"Madame Siko was thrown clear as the first tree was hit, being shot through the air and falling at the feet of a gendarme with nothing more than bruises and a complete inability to understand what had happened to her. The car, on the other hand, literally burst, the pinions coming out of the gearbox, certain parts even being found 50 yards from the main wreckage.

To add to the completeness of the crash, the chassis took fire on hitting the third tree and set fire to the brushwood and dry fir branches."

It's understandable that Siko never returned to Le Mans, but she continued to compete in speed trials and road rallies until the war.

"Femmes pilotes' were a common sight in the '30s, but there was just one when the race returned in 1949 - and not one in the late '50s or '60s.

Listed in our published 1954 race result is a Thirion, but it's unclear if this was indeed the rally driver Gilberte or her father Max, as some sources say that race officials forced a swap on account of her gender.

If this was the case, it's a mystery to us why the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) might have had such a change of attitude: just three years prior, Betty Haig and Yvonne Simon finished third in the 2-litre class, beating a male crew.

Some sources – including no less than Porsche – say the ACO banned female drivers in response to the 1956 death of Annie Bousquet at Reims.

Supposedly she was known for a hell-for-leather driving style, but Autocar absolved her of blame: "On fast sweeping bends, the worst possible arrangement to have is a ditch at the side of the road, yet this is what one finds on this stretch."

Incidentally, the sport's biggest tragedy, when at least 81 fans were killed by a flying car at Le Mans in 1955, involved only male drivers.

Whatever, the prevailing attitude is encapsulated in this unpleasant comment by The Motor magazine: "The ACO has planned a three-hour race at Le Mans for women drivers – if they can find enough women drivers competent enough to stay on the road for that long."

In 1967, at the height of a golden period for sports and GT racing, a trio of young Brits - Jackie Bond-Smith, Joey Cook and Jacqui Smith – set out to "crack the ban on women imposed by the organisers" with their Mini Marcos.

The ACO rejected their entry, and the RAC defended it thus: "Le Mans presents special safety problems, and a major hazard in recent years has been the speed differential between larger and smaller cars."

Smith saw it differently: "The French have a funny idea about women, haven't they?"

The supposed ban was eventually lifted in 1971, as rally driver Marie-Claude Beaumont earned the ACO's trust in an early-season three-hour race, enabling her to share a 7-litre Chevrolet Corvette in 'the big one'.

Its engine went after 14 hours, but Beaumont competed in the next five Le Mans, scoring a career-best 12th in 1973, then switching to an Alpine-Renault alongside Lella Lombardi - still the last woman to have raced (and indeed scored) in Formula 1.

BMW has begun reassessing its future product strategy, including putting its rival for the Mercedes-Benz G-Class on ice, as changing market conditions have forced the German car maker to review which models will go into production later this decade.

The move follows what new CEO Milan Nedeljković described as a dramatic shift in the automotive landscape over the past year, with weakening demand in China, growing pressure from new Chinese rivals, stricter US trade barriers and diverging demand across global markets.

Speaking after BMW reported its second-quarter results, Nedeljković said the company was taking a fresh look at its future product plans rather than assuming existing programmes remain appropriate for every market.

"In all these areas, we are taking significant steps and increasing the pace," he said. "For example, we are once again reviewing which technologies, model variants and drivetrains we will need in the future. In addition, we are looking at where new partnerships could make economic and technological sense."

Nedeljković stopped short of suggesting individual models could be cancelled or delayed, but the comments represent one of BMW's clearest acknowledgements yet that future new-model planning is becoming increasingly fluid as global demand evolves at different speeds.

The review is understood to have already claimed at least one eagerly awaited model. Insiders at BMW’s Munich-based headquarters suggested the proposed G74 off-roader has failed to receive final approval and is currently on hold.

The now stalled new model is believed to have evolved from an early Neue Klasse-based electric concept to a proposal based on the cluster architecture (CLAR) and which would have offered a broad range of drivetrains.

While BMW has not officially commented on the status of the G74, its apparent demise reflects the new approach to future new model investment outlined by Nedeljković.

In outlining the revised new model reassessment process, Nedeljković pointed to China as one of BMW’s biggest challenges.

"The rapid deterioration of market conditions in China was the main reason we adjusted our guidance in June," he said, adding that new competitors are now expanding beyond China into other Asia-Pacific markets, Latin America and Europe.

He also pointed to a combination of tariffs, trade barriers, currency fluctuations, tighter regulation in Europe and the continuing conflict in the Middle East as factors that have fundamentally altered BMW's business.

Rather than committing exclusively to electric models, BMW continues to develop petrol, diesel, plug-in hybrid, electric and hydrogen-powered models, arguing that customer demand is now diverging more sharply between major markets.

"The needs and expectations of customers vary greatly from market to market – and even within individual markets," Nedeljković said. "Our sales figures in the second quarter reflect this reality and the strength of our technology-open approach."

He noted that electric model sales in Europe grew by more than a third during the second quarter, while internal combustion-engined vehicles generated double-digit growth in the United States as demand for electric models dropped across the wider American market.

The review comes despite strong momentum behind BMW's Neue Klasse programme.

Nedeljković said the new iX3 is continuing to attract strong demand, with BMW now approaching 100,000 orders. It has already introduced a second production shift at its new Debrecen plant in Hungary to meet demand.

BMW describes the Debrecen ramp-up as the fastest yet achieved at one of its new production facilities, with the second shift introduced ahead of schedule in response to customer demand.

Early demand for the new i3 has also exceeded expectations, according to Nedeljković, with pre-orders opening ahead of schedule in June before the full order books open at the end of September.

Finally, an affordable, practical, pleasingly styled and good-to-drive electric car. That was our verdict on the MG 4 EV when it arrived in 2022.

That it hailed from China seemingly didn't dent its appeal to British buyers - perhaps in part because it wore the famous octagon on its beak. Since coming here, it has always been among the top 10 best-selling EVs, peaking at number two, and between the different battery and performance options there's a 4 for almost every need.

Our own Steve Cropley, after running a top-line Extended Range variant for 13,000 miles, was utterly convinced, concluding: "Of all the EVs I've had, this has seemed the most honest and practical." How's that for an accolade?

And now, with prices starting at just £7000, used 4s represent incredible value for money. Unlike many EVs of its kind, the 4 is a hatchback in the conventional mould and thus sits its driver low down, legs outstretched and with a generous amount of steering column adjustment. As such, you feel comfortable immediately.

The upholstery (faux leather or cloth) is a little dour, owners have reported premature wear and the plastics are mostly hard and scratchy, but those are excusable shortcomings at this price point, and hardly unique to the 4. Broadly it's solid and well screwed together.

Most functions are controlled via the reasonably intuitive 10.3in infotainment touchscreen (12.8in from 2026). However, it's possible to configure the steering wheel buttons to adjust the temperature and fan speed. It's unconventional but works surprisingly well. There are some proper buttons too, and the recent facelift brought improved material quality - although it will be a while before these cars hit the used market en masse.

The 4 is roomy, if not quite to the extent of the Volkswagen ID 3 or Cupra Born. Tall adults will be comfy in the back, but the boot is averagely sized at 363 litres. Trophy trim adds a false floor, giving you a useful home for charging cables.

The rear-driven 4 is willing to engage a keener driver. It stops some way short of allowing controllable, exuberant oversteer, but its pleasingly accurate and uncorrupted steering makes for enjoyable progress on the open road and boosts the sense of nippiness in the city. It's far more fun than rivals like the Kia e-Niro and Peugeot e-308.

It's not quite as dynamically balanced as the Born, though: while it's pleasant to hustle, its soft suspension permits notable roll and the ride is quite fidgety.

The standard 4 is served in three flavours: the entry-level car gets a 49kWh battery and a 168bhp motor, the Long Range bumps capacity and power to 61.7kWh and 201bhp, and the Extended Range concludes with 74.4kWh and 241bhp.

Range figures run from 218 to 338 miles. There are two trim levels, SE and Trophy, the latter being our pick, because it adds a fair amount of equipment, including blindspot monitoring, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, heated seats, a heated steering wheel, a better stereo and a 360deg camera.

Finally, there's the XPower hot hatch, which adds a front motor for a combined 429bhp, enough for a 0-62mph time of 3.8sec - quicker than the VW Golf R's. The problem is the softly sprung chassis struggles with so much power, so we would stick to a rear-wheel-drive version for the best everyday balance.

What we said then

5 April 2023: The MG 4 EV may not move any technological boundaries, but other manufacturers should undoubtedly see this car as a serious threat, because it does so many things so well, and for such a keen price that it is hard to argue you should buy any other electric hatchback.

An owner's view

Chris Boek: "I bought my MG 4 in October 2024. Since then, I've only had the first service in my plan, which went fine. I use Android Auto, so the in-built entertainment system's various glitches are irrelevant. The screen is at a good height-sometimes a little too bright at night but not a show-stopper. I love the look of the car, it handles really well and it has all the mod cons. I'm very happy, and I will probably keep driving it until it stops working."

Buyer beware

Interior: It's prone to wear generally. The top of the doors, where you might rest your elbow, is covered with textured plastic that's unpleasantly hard yet can be permanently scratched with just a fingernail. The driver's seat on our long-termer was already showing significant wear after six months and 13,000 miles.

Adaptive cruise control: It's not the smoothest system out there and there's no option to use normal cruise control.

Body: Rattling bootlids are annoying but not major reliability issues. However, more serious problems include failing charge ports and differentials leaking oil.

Reliability: The 4 came bottom of its class in the 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey, with 30% of surveyed owners reporting problems, which covered almost all fault categories. MG paid for repairs in only 55% of cases, leaving 39% of faults costing £1000 or more to put right, according to owners. Repairs weren't always swift either: 68% of affected cars took more than a week to fix.

Warranty: MG's seven-year/80,000-mile warranty should help you sleep better, but owners have reported particularly unhelpful customer service from some MG dealers. Also note that the interior is covered by only a 12-month warranty, so a rattly panel or vibration may not be covered.

Also worth knowing

The first cars that arrived in the UK are known as 'Phase 1s'. They are mostly 22-platers (some are 72-platers) and can't receive over-the-air software updates. This might not sound like a big issue, but it means they've missed out on upgrades like the one-pedal mode that came later.

They've also had more reported build quality issues, so it's best to spend a little extra on a later car. As of this year, all 4s cost £195 annually to tax, while insurance groups range between 27 and 40 - quite high compared with rivals like the Hyundai Kona Electric.

How much to spend

£7000-£9999: It's quite promising that some 4s have already racked up six-figure mileages. However, many in this bracket are also Category S write-offs - which reflects the difficulties in obtaining parts for even lightly damaged cars.

£10,000-£14,999: You don't have to spend much more to get a 4 with fewer than 50,000 miles and a clean history.

£15,000-£19,999: For as little as £15,500, we found a one-year-old 49kWh SE with just 700 miles on the clock. Or for the same money, how about a 40,000-mile 429bhp XPower?

£20,000-£30,000: Nearly new, facelifted cars for as much as £10,000 below their list prices.

One we found

MG 4 EV Extended Range Trophy, 2024, 30,000 miles, £17,260: As with many EVs, you can pick up a two-year-old 4 for half of what it cost new. In this case it's an Extended Range - that's 329 miles per charge - in the upper trim. It will still be within warranty for another five years or 50,000 miles.