Range Rover Evoque on its way out, and Cape Town’s new international airport

The Toyota Hilux was the best-selling bakkie in South Africa once again last month, shipping 3,820 units, while some of its rivals also had an impressive month.

Car sales increased by 10% year-on-year in South Africa in October 2026, and bakkies played a large role in that success.

The Ford Ranger reclaimed second place from the Isuzu D-Max, selling 2,381 units compared to the latter’s 1,644, while the GWM P-Series overtook the Mahindra Pik Up to claim fourth with two more than its rival.

In total, the top 10 bakkies sold 10,643 units, accounting for 17.19% of the 61,890 vehicles sold in South Africa in October.

Global Brent crude oil prices took a turn for the worse, heading back towards $100 per barrel despite being down 15% this week.

Bloomberg reported hopes are rising for a faster end to the war, but major differences remain.

Iran wants a US naval blockade lifted, sanctions eased, and frozen assets released before fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Tehran is also reportedly reviewing mediator proposals on its nuclear program, suggesting Qatar’s efforts to avert renewed full-scale conflict are gaining traction.

The South African rand remained relatively unfazed by international developments and remained mostly steady against the US dollar, trading at R16.50 this morning.

5 important things

Good news about petrol prices in South Africa: Motorists saw no relief at the fuel pumps this week, with an imperceptible 1c per litre reduction, but prices are now set to decrease this December [TopAuto].

New international airport in Cape Town with its own shops, hotels, restaurants, and warehouse facilities: The Cape Winelands Airport plans to expand into Cape Town’s second international airport, with its own shops, hotels, restaurants, and warehouse facilities. The company behind the expansion is RSA.Aero, a South African aviation, property, and logistics development company focused on regional and commercial airports [MyBroadband].

Mazda SA boss ‘working on’ MX-5 return: The head of Mazda in South Africa says the Japanese brand’s local division is “working on” bringing the MX-5 nameplate back to Mzansi in 2027, potentially ending what would by that point have been a 6-year local hiatus for the world’s best-selling 2-seater sports car [Cars.co.za].

Evoque and Velar to retire as GT becomes entry Range Rover: The Range Rover Evoque and Range Rover Velar will not be replaced when production of the pair ends later this decade. That will leave the upcoming Range Rover GT and the Range Rover Sport as two very different but similarly priced entry points to JLR’s now stand-alone luxury brand, sitting underneath the full-sized Range Rover in a three-strong line-up [Autocar].

BMW creates one-off M3 tribute to a motorsport legend: BMW Italia has put a one-off M3 on display at EICMA 2026, and it has nothing to do with motorcycles. The car sits at the BMW Motorrad stand as a tribute to Alex Zanardi, built to mark what would have been his 60th birthday [Motor1].