Dodge offering free HEMI for trucks in February
After a soft sales month in February, Dodge is planning to bounce back with a new "National Truck Month" campaign for March. As part of the campaign, customers buying a Ram 1500 or Dodge Durango can opt up to the 5.7L HEMI V8 for free, an option that normaly costs about $1,700. In anticipation of the campaign, Dodge dealers have reportedly stocked up on Rams and Durangos equipped with the popular engine.We're still compiling all the sales numbers reported by each automaker for the month of February, but can tell you that the Chrysler Group was off about 8% last month, with Ram sales down 4% and sales of the Durango off 43%.
[Source: Dodge]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
akintz 3:51PM (3/01/2007)
The Durango being down that much doesn't really surprise me. No one seems to be interested in them as much as when they were introduced. I don't care for the looks of them at all anymore.
Seems like a good promotion though... if they can market it right. You don't often see expensive options being thrown in like that...
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jonnyrock 4:03PM (3/01/2007)
Your title says "Dodge offering free HEMI for trucks in February" but it's a march promotion...
Looks like an update is in order.
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Accordsforall 4:04PM (3/01/2007)
Hmmm
I find it interesting.. that they are giving the Hemi away... one word sums this all up...
D E S P E R A T E!
And Id like to know.. just how many Chrysler Aspen's have been sold. The Durango is just one steaming load... but Id like to know how many of both have been sold.
It would be nice.. however.. if someone could walk into a Dodge dealership and actually request a car to be made.. to their own specs.. instead of getting a stale one from the lot..
THAT.. would surprise me... not some samn free SEMI HEMI!
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TC 4:00PM (3/01/2007)
Umm, maybe in March? If DCX has a time machine to go back to February, do you think they'd be worried about current sales?
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Aaron 4:01PM (3/01/2007)
the ram being off 4% beats the F series being off 12%..
I'd be surprised if a free hemi promotion was not cheaper than the incentives they are flogging now.
Many specualte the hemi si a cheaper engine to build than the 4.7 as it is..
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Dan 4:22PM (3/01/2007)
I am pretty sure I remember reading somewhere that the HEMI is actually less expensive for DCX to manufacture than the smaller less fuel efficient engine.
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Aaron 4:27PM (3/01/2007)
AIDScordforall, I call a desperate move dumping accords on fleet and giving them away on leases to pump up car sales..
lollerskates..
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Aaron 4:35PM (3/01/2007)
Oh as well AIDScordforall, as and FYI durango + aspen sales thus far have totalled 14,500 units, which would be down about 1000 over the 15,592 durangos sold last year..
In other news the honduh FUDGEline sales are off 17.4%, with a stellar 7002 units sold..
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Bob R. 4:48PM (3/01/2007)
Wow, the Rigeline was off 17.4%?? Holy shit, it can't be, it's a Honda.
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david 4:59PM (3/01/2007)
pay no attention to that man behind the curtain..accordsforall (acrapmobileforall). it's a slow day at the honda dealer and his boss told him to get on the computer and badmouth anything not holyhonda.
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david 5:02PM (3/01/2007)
aaron, please don't make fun of honda's pickup. it's disrespectful. now say it right, honda fudgepackerline.
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fordman 5:03PM (3/01/2007)
Honda ridgeline sales are down you idiots because production is being routed to MDX and Odyssey. Those two are in high demand.
As for fleets, Enterprise Rent a Car where my brother works buys their Camrys full price from a nearby dealer like a real customer. The domestic fleets are sold in bulk from the factory.
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david 5:14PM (3/01/2007)
but fordman, if the fudgepackerline were in high demand would they not route mdx and oddity to fudgepackerline?
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fordman 5:16PM (3/01/2007)
#13 yes you are correct. If it was in high demand production would not be routed to Odyssey.
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Aaron 5:21PM (3/01/2007)
EGGFART FOR ALL.. Interesting theory..
Oddyssey production is down so far this year 27,977 as compared to 32,395 last year up to feb 24th..
MDx production is up only about 1800 units, and MDX sales are hardly stellar, only up 1.9%
you're so full of crap, the fudeline in your underwear is brown..
lol..
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TDIMeister 5:34PM (3/01/2007)
It's an absoutely BRILLIANT promotion actually. An option worth 1700 Dollars at retail given away for free would in reality cost DC at most a hundred bucks per vehicle, and the extra demand for HEMIs will likely help to take up the slack of a less-than-fully utilized engine plant. BRILLIANT!
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TDIMeister 5:37PM (3/01/2007)
To add further, the only true loss of revenue in this promotion is to the customer who without the offer would have opted for a HEMI *anyway.* That's 1700 dollars that would be forgone, but I'm sure the bean counters looked at their past sales stats and determined it to be a revenue-safe plan.
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MikeW 6:05PM (3/01/2007)
"Many specualte the hemi si a cheaper engine to build than the 4.7 as it is.."
That isn't speculation, that is public knowledge. Chrysler said it costs less to build [in mexico] than the 4.7, which cost less than the 5.2/5.9s of old.
So why did they charge and extra grand for the hemi?
Seems to have bitten them in the butt.
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Michael Karesh 5:53PM (3/01/2007)
In most cases the option price for the Hemi is about a grand. It's only $1780 on the Durango SLT 2WD and Ram ST 2WD. If you're buying one of the higher trim lines and/or 4WD, you save a grand. Actually, less than that, since no one pays MSRP for a Dodge.
Guess I better get the details for this thing, to get them into my price comparison database. Opting for the Hemi requires $75 for a 5-speed automatic, and sometimes $195 for a two-speed transfer case. I wonder if those are also free.
http://www.truedelta.com/prices.php
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aaron 6:17PM (3/01/2007)
I would think on average people don't pay MSRP for the vast majority of vehicles lmao..
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