Heebner said Dodge took a "walk before you run" approach on the RamBox because of Chrysler's financial struggles. Louis North body shop, LaSorda decided that was the plant to build trucks with the RamBox. Once Cerberus Capital Management LP took majority ownership of Chrysler in August 2007, LaSorda had to defend his idea all over again to his company's new owners. And that was enough to sell it to the DaimlerChrysler board in Stuttgart.īut the RamBox's odyssey wasn't over. "Bringing it in-house cut cost virtually in half," Heebner said. LaSorda has been the primary champion of the RamBox, which was going to be called the LifeBox before copyright problems killed that name, Heebner said. So Tom LaSorda, then CEO of the Chrysler division of DaimlerChrysler and now Chrysler co-president, decided to bring the project in-house. One proposal was a sideview concept similar to cargo doors that open upward from the side of a bus, Heebner said.īut the supplier was unable to get the cost down to a feasible level. The supplier experimented with configurations for lockable storage boxes. One supplier was chosen from three bidders, Heebner said. In late 2006, Chrysler-then part of DaimlerChrysler-put the idea of a lockable storage box out for bid. Heebner said there is a good reason the RamBox is late: It was no simple task to get the first-in-segment feature from the drawing board to the production line. Some dealers, who think the RamBox will be more popular than Dodge anticipates, had complained that the RamBox should have been available from the start. The official production launch at the first plant, in Warren, Mich., was Sept. Louis North truck plant, the second plant to ramp up for production of the Ram. The RamBox is available only on trucks made at Chrysler LLC's St. The RamBox will not be available on the first 2009 Rams but will arrive in dealerships around Nov. A lockable box on each side of the truck bed capable of storing anything from shovels to 240 12-ounce beverage cans, with enough ice to keep them ready for a party. The storage feature has three elements:ġ. Heebner said Dodge expects about 20 percent of buyers of the 20 crew cab to order the RamBox. I really like the divider it comes with would be awesome to not have my saws sliding around.Dodge has set the option price on its RamBox lockable storage feature at $1,895, said John Heebner, senior manager of product marketing for the Dodge Ram. The most I haul in the bed is usually split wood and most of the time I use the dump trailer. I don't feel the bed space loss is that big of a deal. He says he may even try to find one at a junkyard that might fit his 20. It sounds as if Hemi is convinced that his next truck should have the Rambox. If I had them I'd keep about the same stuff that JS has in his.”īrent, from Honolulu, adds, “I love mine and the 2500 boxes are rated at 300 lbs each, I believe the 1500 boxes are 150 lbs. Everyone who has them loves them and I don’t know of anyone who regrets them. It has special lighting so you can see what you are doing and includes dividers and tie-down cleats to keep your load from shifting while on the road.Ī driver who posts frequently under the name Thunder says “The bed space you lose is just the space in front of and behind the wheel well where I put groceries so they won't roll around, so with ramboxes they just go in the boxes. The Rambox is a pretty advanced storage system. Does it take away from the bed space, yes, but ask yourself how often you have used the space above and behind the wheel wells.” I use my trailer for almost all of my hauling needs. I’m just a simple home owner that uses it to run to errands, pull my trailers and general stuff like runs to Home Depot. “I love mine, Use them almost daily.” Heff also says, “It just depends on how you use your truck. Heff, from Arkansas, has a new 2017 Ram truck.
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