News From the Auto Industry

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.

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.”

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.