End Of The Road For VW Kombi

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.

German owner, Volkswagen, is calling time on the vehicle's 63 year history.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.