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View Poll Results: Will a lower price and wider availability increase the sales of RamBox?
Yes, I anticipate a big sales increase and we'll be stocking more trucks with RamBox 0 0%
Yes, I anticipate a mild sales increase and hope Chrysler will add incentives to RamBox as needed 2 25.00%
No, while the wider availability is great, the price point is still too high 6 75.00%
Voters: 8. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 10-05-2011, 11:58 AM   #1
XDCX
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Default Will a lower price and wider availability increase the sales of RamBox?

Will a lower price and wider availability increase the sales of RamBox?




In a recent story in Automotive News, Fred Diaz reported that Chrysler is increasing the availability of RamBox so that 85% of the sales volume will now have RamBox as an available option. In the past RamBox was only available on one bed-length which limited its volume.

Additionally, Chrysler is lowering the cost of RamBox from $1,895 to $1,295.

Will the changes increase the sales of RamBox, or is it too little, too late? Please take our poll and add your thoughts/opinion to this thread.
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Old 10-05-2011, 12:42 PM   #2
chryslersrt8
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As I said in the earlier vote on Ram box, it needs to be $995 to be effective. $1295 is better than a poke in the eye but still fails to hit the bulls eye!

Last edited by chryslersrt8; 10-05-2011 at 12:42 PM. Reason: correct spelling
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Old 10-05-2011, 01:26 PM   #3
gingersnap
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RAMBOX trucks remind me alot of Commander Limited's as far as selling them although we were not a Dodge Dealer we were able to buy a couple in the auction somewhat reasonable sell them and make good good money. New ones seem to sit on lots. Alot like the Commander's tough to sell new but could sell them used loaded up.
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Old 10-05-2011, 02:02 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob Isakson View Post
As I said in the earlier vote on Ram box, it needs to be $995 to be effective. $1295 is better than a poke in the eye but still fails to hit the bulls eye!
I agree that $995 MSRP would be a point where many retail buyers could justify the expense relative to how often they'd use the RamBox feature.

In the report in Automotive News, Diaz commented that the "take rate" for the RamBox is 15% - I'm guessing he must be referring to dealer orders for the '12 Ram Trucks since there's no way the "take rate" was 15% on the old ($1,895 price point) RamBox option.
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Old 10-05-2011, 02:08 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gingersnap View Post
RAMBOX trucks remind me alot of Commander Limited's as far as selling them although we were not a Dodge Dealer we were able to buy a couple in the auction somewhat reasonable sell them and make good good money. New ones seem to sit on lots. Alot like the Commander's tough to sell new but could sell them used loaded up.
That's an excellent point and it speaks to the fact that Gen 1 of RamBox was way too expensive. It's not that the customers didn't see the utility of the option, they just didn't want to feel foolish that they were gouged on the pricing.

Once someone else has taken the hit on depreciation the RamBox equipped trucks become popular as used vehicles.
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Old 10-05-2011, 04:25 PM   #6
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Once again Chrysler Marketing Executives have chosen the high road insted of the right road to success. It was priced too high when it was new, what little buyers there were came in and walked away, and now we have to spend millions to get them back. Too bad it wasn't marketed as a gotta have and a no brainer price wise to build a following, and then we could move the price and the packages up later. The imports have done this for years by coming in at a low low low entry level price, hooked the buyer, and then kept them in the family for the future. Chrysler is more interested in gouging the first group, creating a bad taste in the market place, and then backing up for the next 10 trying ever gimmick in the book to right the wrong and get them back. The RAMBOX was a great idea that was mis-marketed and mis-priced to the point that they are only a good buy as a used vehicle. Chrysler builds great used cars, they just can't sell them new.
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Old 10-05-2011, 07:57 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Moparguy View Post
Once again Chrysler Marketing Executives have chosen the high road insted of the right road to success. It was priced too high when it was new, what little buyers there were came in and walked away, and now we have to spend millions to get them back. Too bad it wasn't marketed as a gotta have and a no brainer price wise to build a following, and then we could move the price and the packages up later. The imports have done this for years by coming in at a low low low entry level price, hooked the buyer, and then kept them in the family for the future. Chrysler is more interested in gouging the first group, creating a bad taste in the market place, and then backing up for the next 10 trying ever gimmick in the book to right the wrong and get them back.
Another great post.

Back in the "glory days" Chrysler used to be pretty good at this. Build some excitement, build some momentum and then gradually increase the price.

I remember back in the mid to late 90s Chrysler used to launch new cars with aggressive pricing and then have two or three gradual price increases. Dealers had to be careful when they did dealer trades because if you swapped old inventory for new inventory you may end up with a car that's going to cost your customer $1,000 more and do nothing for the store's gross profit.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Moparguy View Post
The RAMBOX was a great idea that was mis-marketed and mis-priced to the point that they are only a good buy as a used vehicle.
RamBox at $995 would have been a hit but RamBox at $1,895 was a failure. How many dealers did Chrysler ask when they set pricing?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Moparguy View Post
Chrysler builds great used cars, they just can't sell them new.
More "Quote of the Week" material.
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Old 10-06-2011, 06:03 AM   #8
ssdd
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Moparguy View Post
Once again Chrysler Marketing Executives have chosen the high road insted of the right road to success. It was priced too high when it was new, what little buyers there were came in and walked away, and now we have to spend millions to get them back. Too bad it wasn't marketed as a gotta have and a no brainer price wise to build a following, and then we could move the price and the packages up later. The imports have done this for years by coming in at a low low low entry level price, hooked the buyer, and then kept them in the family for the future. Chrysler is more interested in gouging the first group, creating a bad taste in the market place, and then backing up for the next 10 trying ever gimmick in the book to right the wrong and get them back. The RAMBOX was a great idea that was mis-marketed and mis-priced to the point that they are only a good buy as a used vehicle. Chrysler builds great used cars, they just can't sell them new.
I have warned you about making sense...
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Old 10-06-2011, 08:42 AM   #9
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Originally Posted by ssdd View Post
I have warned you about making sense...
It's good to have Moparguy back in the house.

I think one of the coolest things about a forum is when you can sit back and read someone's post and reflect "that was exactly the same thing I was thinking."
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Old 10-07-2011, 08:14 AM   #10
79LilRedExpress
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As history has proven... the management at DCX and certainly Cerabus only cared about the 1st group of buyers... they never planned on being around for the long haul.
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Old 10-07-2011, 08:37 AM   #11
birch3x
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Up here everyone just slings their crap in the back, and keeps the good stuff (guns and beer) upfront. Never sold one or had anyone interested.
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Old 01-29-2013, 09:43 AM   #12
XDCX
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Smile Saw two RamBox trucks in one day....

I thought of this thread the other day when I saw two Dodge trucks with the RamBox option in the same day. Both were retail vehicles that were parked in a parking lot and I did a "double-take" when I spotted them.

I don't think it would be an exaggeration to say those are the only two RamBox trucks I've seen for the past year. Clearly a lower price didn't increase the sales of RamBox in the Phoenix area.

If you were taking a RamBox truck in trade would you add for the option or do you suspect your buyer for the truck wouldn't see much value in the RamBox feature?
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Old 01-29-2013, 01:36 PM   #13
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When I saw the original in 2007, I thought what a great Idea and I was asked what the price point should be, I said that it should be around 700 and that they would sell out at that price. They didn't listen then and don't listen now
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Old 01-29-2013, 05:46 PM   #14
CL Pgh
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Quote:
Originally Posted by XDCX View Post
If you were taking a RamBox truck in trade would you add for the option or do you suspect your buyer for the truck wouldn't see much value in the RamBox feature?
Not the that we’ve sold a bunch of the Ram box units… but the far majority of what we have sold have been vehicles with some sort of “bonus” incentive to help move the truck. For that reason… I wouldn’t look at the Ram box as an item that would increase the trade-in value of the vehicle. It wouldn't hurt the vehicle... but it's too much of a niche item to increase the overall value. IMO of course.

Last edited by CL Pgh; 01-29-2013 at 05:48 PM.
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Old 01-31-2013, 10:53 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by conn02 View Post
When I saw the original in 2007, I thought what a great Idea and I was asked what the price point should be, I said that it should be around 700 and that they would sell out at that price. They didn't listen then and don't listen now
A lower price point would have made the RamBox a very popular option and it could have been a feature Auburn Hills used to differentiate the Ram trucks from the offerings from Ford and General Motors.

It would be interesting to know what Chrysler's raw-cost is on the RamBox option? I'd bet it's pretty close to the $700 figure you mentioned.
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