R30.25 per litre for petrol, and South Africa’s top-selling bakkies

News that the City of Cape Town’s Foreshore Freeway will finally be completed has breathed new life into an ambitious plan to create a new elevated train service.

On Friday, Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis announced that the city will finish construction of the famous unfinished bridge as part of a massive plan to redevelop its central business district (CBD).

The announcement was well received by the minds behind the Capetrain Express, a viral proposal to create a commuter railway linking key destinations across Woodstock, the Cape Town CBD, Green Point, and Sea Point.

In a statement, the Capetrain Express welcomed Hill-Lewis’s announcement of the Foreshore Precinct Project as a generational investment in redeveloping and revitalising the lower CBD.

“We are encouraged by the Executive Mayor’s public remarks expressing in-principle support for the Capetrain Express as a potential addition to Cape Town’s public transport network, subject to the project demonstrating its financial viability,” it said.

Global Brent crude oil prices remained above $100 per barrel, even as producers are moving larger volumes through the Strait of Hormuz.

G7 countries also agreed on Friday to release 100 million barrels of diesel and crude from emergency reserves, pledging to refrain from energy export restrictions after pressure from US President Donald Trump.

Despite this boost, conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen continued, fueling concerns over potential supply disruptions from the region’s largest oil exporter amid a stalemate in US-Iran talks.

Overnight, the South African rand remained stable compared to the US dollar and is trading at R16.65 against the American currency this morning.

5 important things

Best-selling bakkies in South Africa: Bakkie sales soared in South Africa in September 2026, with the top 10 models accounting for nearly a fifth of the industry’s total last month. The Nissan Navara fell out of the top 10 following the sale of the company’s factory earlier this year [TopAuto].

New electric car charging company expanding across South Africa — with prices as low as R2.49 per kWh: Public charge point operator (CPO) SAEV Charge has commenced the first phase of its network expansion in South Africa, which aims to roll out 400 charging stations over the next four years [MyBroadband].

Here is the official petrol price for October: Petrol and diesel will be hiked by more than R3 per litre this Wednesday, pushing the price of both fuels past R30 per litre. [BusinessTech].

Volvo begins battery replacements for recalled EX30s in South Africa: Volvo Car South Africa has begun replacing battery modules in 488 EX30 electric vehicles affected by a global recall over a manufacturing defect that could cause overheating and, in rare cases, fire [BusinessDay].

2026 BMW M3 becomes one-millionth M model produced: The BMW Group has announced the production of the one-millionth M car at its Plant Munich facility in Germany. The facility has manufactured vehicles for over 100 years and now accounts for more than five decades of M Performance BMW assembly [CarMag].