South Africa has traditionally been 'bakkie crazy' – and many of us grew up with some or the other 'bakkie' in the driveway. Many businesses requiring a versatile workhorse or delivery vehicle, would own a sub-one tonner 'bakkie' or two as part of their fleet. It's no wonder that Opel 's famous CORSA bakkie, later to be re-badged as the Chevrolet Utility, was for many years the best selling bakkie in its class – selling well over 1000 units per month!
Go onto the roads in Europe however, and you will be hard-pressed to see a 'bakkie' on the roads. In Europe, every respectable business has a fleet of 'COMBO's or VANS.
So, what's the attraction of VANS vs BAKKIES?
Security
Let's be honest – in South Africa you can no longer dare to leave anything simply 'in the back of the bakkie' as you could in years gone by. So most commercial owners opt to immediately fit a canopy to their 'bakkie'. Unfortunately the loading bay and canopies don't form part of the alarm system of the 'bakkie' (if fitted at all), and break-in thefts are common place.
