Ram Box Failing To Launch
When Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli was Chief Executive Despot at the Home Despot, he hung his monstrous paycheck on such gimmicky products as the Peter Arnell-inspired ergonomic fire extinguisher. now ensconced in Auburn Hills, Nardelli is banking on the RamBox storage option to move its all-new Ram in the teeth of a stiff anti-truck headwind. And that ain't working out so well. Despite Nardelli's and Co-President Jim Press's relentless "game changer" hype, the Ram Box is not good to go. Automotive News (sub) reports that Dodge has not priced the RamBox yet, but "dealers say they have heard discussions of an option price of $1,600 to $2,100." But the New Chrysler wants dealers to order the option without knowing what it will cost, a limb the dealers aren't eager to walk out on. "Until I've seen the RamBox and how it's priced, you're not going to be getting any orders from me," says one Dodge dealer. "I think the RamBox is going to be a big seller if it's priced reasonably. I don't want a bunch of trucks sitting on my lot without it. What the hell is the problem? Where's it at?" This is probably not the way Chrysler was hoping the RamBox would change the game. "We're trying to get a balance between volume and price," says Marc Seguin, senior manager for Ram marketing. "It's a tough thing to price. We're trying to understand how much volume we can sell." Meanwhile, the dealers are left fuming. "To launch the truck without the RamBox is just ridiculous," says another unhappy pusher-man.
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hey Sajeev--I feel your pain. Unless you're with the mass market print media, NAIAS has gotten stingy with the passes in the last few years; I only got one because an overseas colleague was unable to use his. And not only do you need more passes, you really need the ability to be in two places at once to get all the goodies out of NAIAS. Even having attended the Ram truck "event", I didn't remember anything being said about the box--the cows were very distracting, especially for the folks in the front row who were within range of some lethal looking pointy horns.
Is it ventilated so that the kids arrive alive?
Honda didn't "come up" with anything.... they copied from the Chevrolet Avalanche... to the extent that they often refer to the Ridgeline as the "Honda Avalanche". I saw the Ram Box in person and... at 5'4", I can get into the storage just fine without a ladder or any assistance. The boxes are large and will hold a full set of golf clubs with no problem... or a case of beer! They are set up to work as coolers as well, with drainage. I put my daughter's snowboard in one so they would hold a standard circular saw plus a bunch of other tools with no problem. I personally think it's a great option. I don't want a big storage box sitting in the bed of my truck. I just think they should have had it ready when the truck launched. I'm not buying one without it.
Oh my gosh - just read more. You guys talking about the suspension... have you DRIVEN one??? The suspension is completely new and this thing rides great. We took it on various tracks at the Dodge event... the suspension is awesome and I'm a Chevy girl. We have a 2003 Ram now and the suspension sucks. Seems to me there are a lot of people griping on here with 0 experience with the actual product. Go see one and take a drive. I'm more than willing to pay the extra money for the Ram Box... if it ever comes out.