Re: A BLACK DAY HAS COME! No More VIPERS!
Okay gang, I am going to comment, give you the facts, and then close this thread permanently:
First off, this is EXACTLY the kind of thing that the Viper program does not need - rumors. With the utmost respect to a fellow Viper owner (Venom500), this IS A COMPLETELY UNSUBSTANTIATED RUMOR FROM SOMEONE NOT EVEN EMPLOYED BY DCX. And with all due respect for the Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep dealers out there, how many have given ACCURATE information on corporate goings on as it happens? Not too many. Was it backed up by a SINGLE DCX employee? Reported by Automotive News (they send "alerts" within minutes of such major things being announced - and I received nothing)? Rest assured that if that plant permanently closed you would be getting it from a slew of different sources within minutes - not a friend who works at a Dodge dealer that used to work in Detroit.
FACT: The Conner Avenue Plant did NOT permanently lay off anybody today. FACT: The Viper program is 100% a "go" as of 7:00 Central time when I spoke directly with somebody from Team Viper. Make that "Somebody" with a capital "S". While I won't speak on behalf of your incoming National officers for 2007, we did exchange a flurry of calls to confirm this rumor one way or another. And every single source said it was completely false (stronger words were used, but I will tone it down here).
I can confirm beyond a shadow of a doubt and without violating any nondisclosures that the Viper program is still a passion within DCX. It is our responsibility as owners to support it and provide <u>positive</u> feedback to assure it continues well into the future. Not to start rumors of it's early demise or other things that undermine everything the Viper stands for.
I look forward to a long and wonderful relationship with the folks at CAAP and elsewhere within the Viper family.
Chris
PS. As of 11:49 PM CDT Venom500 asked me to post this on their behalf:
"First I would like to apologize to you and everyone else. I had no intentions of spreading a rumor. I have the utmost respect for the Viper program and everything it stands for. I would never say anything bad about it. It has always been my dream to own a Viper and I am very proud to be part of this organization. I was told this today by someone I thought I could trust that said this is what he read. Therefore I thought I was the only person who didn't know. I simply just wanted to talk to my viper family to get the facts about this issue. I never meant any harm. If you could please post this for everyone to read I would greatly appreciate it. Again I am truly sorry for any inconvenience this might have caused. Thank You
Venom500"
As far as I am concerned, apology accepted. I would just suggest to anyone thinking about posting a rumor to think of the possible negative impacts it could have - especially if proven false. This one probably shook up a few CAAP employees that read this board (and they do). With such a very small owner community, it is easy for these rumors to take on a life of their own. While many like to have the early "scoop", I would never suggest banking on anything that wasn't in a DCX press release. Saves having to write those apologies. Glad this one had a happy ending!
