Boxed Out
Brian Corbett Ward's AutoWorld, Jun 1, 2002 12:00 PM

General Motors Corp.'s Pro-Tec composite box technology, offered on its Chevy Silverado pickup, is missing take rate forecasts by 90%.

About 5,000 Silverados featuring Pro-Tec have been sold since the option became available last year. GM expected to sell some 50,000 Silverados annually with the $850 Pro-Tec option. It's another setback for a program that was delayed at launch by several months due to surface anomalies. But past quality issues aren't to blame for slow sales. GM says it has to do a better job of marketing Pro-Tec. “The dealers that are stocking (Pro-Tec-equipped Silverados) seem to be selling them at a reasonable rate,” explains John Schwegman, Silverado marketing manager. “We're just not getting enough dealers to take their first one.”

Pro-Tec is facing all sorts of challenges. It's only available as a 6-ft. (1.8 m) box. Consumers who use their truck daily for work — and would benefit most from Pro-Tec's advantages over steel boxes — usually want 7-ft. (2.1 m) beds. Pro-Tec is 50 lbs. (21.8 kg) lighter and more durable than a steel box.

Also, commissions for sales personnel might be higher for a Silverado with a $225 bed liner that's mounted at the dealership rather than a factory-installed Pro-Tec Silverado.

If profit margin isn't a consideration, a quicker sell may be. Dealers don't have to talk a consumer into an unknown technology that costs significantly more than a bed liner option that has worked fine on previously owned pickups.

GM says it remains committed to Pro-Tec. It's hard to quit quickly after sinking $64 million into its Ft. Wayne, IN, plant to build a 74,000-sq.-ft. (6,874-sq.m) addition. So expect more ads, maybe even a television spot highlighting Pro-Tec on '03 Silverados. Interestingly, Schwegman says Pro-Tec and another technology “scored off the charts” in a survey gauging likely consumer demand for future offerings. The other technology? Four-wheel steering, which GM is introducing on numerous fullsize trucks this year.