Do you think Fiat will kill Viper?

I'm a fan of the Viper, but I don't see how the Viper is competition to Ferrari and Maserati. Best summed up from a comment below:

 

Obama killed it. It doesn't fit in his small car strategy for Chrysler.

 

more than likely the Viper franchise will be "sold" at a nominal price.

 

+++ , that is if a buyer willing to take on the assumed liability can be found. I would assume that the Viper was a PR loss leader for Chrysler, something that FIAT certainly does not need.

BTW, how have Viper sales held up over the depression days, say compared with that of Ferrari and Corvette?

 

I would only hope it gets sold to someone who won't let it go the way of Saleen, Shelby etc... I might add I am not a MOPAR guy but think the Viper is definitely a significant vehicle when it comes to the automotive landscape.

 

Actually, Chrysler killed it by putting a pickup truck engine and grille on it, and fitting it with a rental car interior.

 

Not only that, but they have consistently refused to divulge this information to their buyers...

 

Good point. But, the coupe de gras was the government bail outs and the conditions given for survival by the Obama administration. No one from government would like to be caught dead at an autoshow standing next to a gas guzzling Viper and taking credit for saving it.

 

apity, the Gen 1 viper was a unique and sexy beast.. but the Gen 2 was less sexy, and the Gen 3 was the least sexy machine they made.. unless viper goes back to the Gen 1 sex appeal, it's a dead brand.

 

Sex appeal? Well, I guess in sort of the sense of "Ladies of the WWF"...

You know, I really wonder if this car has not already pretty much saturated its own market...sort of like Harley Davidson sales of late. Too many of them lightly used, owner got tired of them...and here they are back on the market under deep discount.

 

Maybe Fiat will rebadge it as an Abarth Serpente.

 

well I wouldn't say it had "sex" appeal like a ferrari has sex appeal.. make no mistake about it.. I owned a viper for 2 months and I didn't like the type of image the car enticed..

I suppose what I meant to say is that when it first came out it was the first "wild" american sportscar.. kind of like a blue collar lamborghini.. and now that aspect is missing in the US market..

Corvette was also the blue collar "american" ferrari and viper was the blue collar "american" lamborghini.. I know it's completely not politically correct but that is how a fair assesment..

Again I do regret owning the car but I did enjoy the looks of the Gen 1 viper.. since I love the cobra and we have nothing like a cobra right now.. the viper was the closest thing you could get..

 

Well, now that you have mentioned Cobra, if it did go out of production - (and nobody picked up the pieces) - how hard would it be to make molds for that body, weld up a frame, and fit the V10 and such like SuperFormance does for the Cobras?

 

Well, it isn't dead yet, as the Connor Ave. plant has resumed operations today.

 

Some get it some dont. Just like everything niche.

I think if they cant sell it Fiat will kill the Viper as the ROI is poor . I dont think Fiat worries that Viper takes sales from Ferrari or Maser as it doesnt. Three totally different categories.

Viper and Ferrari fill two different needs. Ive had both so I guess I can speak from experience. In a perfect world I would always have one of each, a rough, raw , loud, muscle car like the viper and a refined, handcrafted piece of automotive art like the F355. Neither is superior to the other...just different.

However... I prefer Vipers to Ferraris...there I said it !

 

Come on; you're enough of a car guy to know that it's actually NOT a pickup truck engine. Really?

The Viper GTS is one of the most beautiful and unique American cars ever produced. I think they are phenomenal cars but they lack refinement and steering feel.

 

I think the Viper should be laid to rest because with the new regulations approaching in the up coming future the chances are the Viper will not have the big beefy V-10 engine instead they will have to opt out for something smaller like a Hemi and you know what its just best to let the Viper go. Evenually it will come back but its best to just let it go.

Look at the Cobra, its been well over 30 years and its still running strong. I can see the Viper going that same route.

 

I like em. I have a Gen 1 in my garage ( I should mention that it is not my car, but I do have the keys & anytime usage ). It the a AC Cobra from my generation. Hopefully they will keep making them.
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http://money.cnn.com/2009/06/15/autos/chrysler_viper_restart/?postversion=2009061517

 

From the article: "The Viper was introduced in the 1992 model year, and only 25,000 have been sold since then."

I thought they sold more than 25,000 Vipers in the past 17 years. Maybe Chrysler should make more Vipers. It should be a source of big profits.

 

Making cars that nobody wants - and thus nobody buys - is how they got into this mess in the first place. You've already heard from target-market folks with disposable income who clearly state that the new styling of the car sucks, its build-quality sucks, and its post-sale value sucks. When something sucks, you don't make MORE of it in-hopes that it no longer sucks....you go back to the drawing board and un-suck everything.

 

Maybe it is a little too late to put the toothpaste back into the tube.

I suspect they are running the plant at minimum output so that the potential sale of Viper will look just a little more viable to some buyer. I cannot imagine that they will want to keep this in a day when GM is dumping both Saturn and
Pontiac?

 

Just one more little thing: If Chrysler dumps the V10 for medium trucks (in favor of the Hemi or turbo-Diesels) then the sale of the Viper brand is a moot point. No source for the engine.

And I think that may be very likely. Truck needs for big torque and mileage will prove to be better met with diesel.

 

Whoa. I want one.

Exactly. That giant un-sucking sound...

That could be the deciding factor. 25,000 cars over 17 years isn't profitable or even feasible, unless you're borrowing a lot of parts.