Official petrol price for August, and a new Smart City for South Africa with a Gautrain station

The South African auto industry recorded its strongest monthly passenger car sales in 12 years in July 2026.

New sales data from the Automotive Business Council shows that a total of 57,708 vehicles were sold last month.

This includes 40,912 passenger cars, representing a 12.5% year-on-year increase from the 36,354 sold in July 2025.

WesBank attributed the strong performance to resilient consumer demand and the lower fuel prices brought about by July’s petrol and diesel cuts.

Brent crude oil is currently trading at around $80 per barrel. Prices fell on Monday when US President Donald Trump cancelled strikes on Iran and announced that peace talks would resume.

However, prices remain much higher than what they were one month earlier, when oil was trading at roughly $68 per barrel. Prices rose sharply when the conflict in the Middle East escalated in mid-July.

5 important things

Official petrol price decreases for August announced: Petrol prices will experience a reduction of 52c per litre from Wednesday, 5 August 2026. Diesel, however, will be hiked by R1.38 per litre, raising the cost of commercial transport in South Africa. [TopAuto].

New smart city for South Africa with its own Gautrain station: Mogale City has unveiled plans for the development of the Lanseria Smart City with new infrastructure, including a Gautrain station in proximity to Lanseria International Airport. [MyBroadband].

Nissan’s turnaround plan showing results: Nissan Motor Company’s quarterly profit rose as the carmaker’s early restructuring efforts to save its business are starting to show results, focusing on aggressive cost-cutting and a faster vehicle development cycle. [Bloomberg]

Jaguar Land Rover to end Discovery Sport production: British carmaker Jaguar Land Rover will reportedly end production of the entry-level Discovery Sport SUV at the end of 2026, ending the run of a vehicle that has been on the market for 11 years. [Autocar]

Protests over oil ventures in Namibia and South Africa: The west coast of South Africa and Namibia has become a hotspot for oil exploration, with TotalEnergies expected to produce 150,000 barrels per day by 2030. However, environmental groups and fishing communities have launched multiple court cases against offshore ventures in the area. [Reuters]