Reuters Business Report - The classic design of the VW Kombi van has hardly changed in years.Alisson Pereira knows. He's grown up around them. They're still being made in Brazil where he lives - but not for much longer.
KOMBI OWNER, ALISSON PEREIRA: "I have been working with the Kombi since I was 18, but it's been practically part of my entire life. My father had a Kombi and I was more or less raised inside a Kombi watching my father work. It's not just means of transportation, it's also a journey." Around ten million vans have been built across six decades. More than 1.5 million have been produced in Brazil. Only a thousand more are to be made before the production line is finally switched off at the end of the year. It will be a sad day for Kombi lovers everywhere, not least market trader Mario Santos whose Kombi is almost 40 years old. FARMER'S MARKET VENDOR, MARIO SANTOS SILVA: "The little that I have is thanks to her. Really, I am against stopping production of the Kombi. I am totally against it." Production may soon be ending - but the Kombi will live on in the hearts of its fans forever. |
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