another end of viper article

[wallbanger]

Calculated cuts are Chrysler's best hope | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press


QUOTE

The Viper sports car, while lovely to look at, doesn't make sense in the Dodge lineup. Dodge needs performance models, but an $84,460 two-seater is too far removed from the rest of the brand's lineup. The $37,995 425-horsepower Challenger SRT8 is Dodge's natural flagship.

i found this article on a bmw board i frequent and the first response was

yeahh but when you think of Dodge and Mopar u think VIPER...... i mean really whats the SRT image with out the Viper

 

[GBS]

If the Challenger SRT8 is Dodge's new flagship I'm going to jump ship.

 

[wallbanger]

The second comment on the bmw board was

Chrysler will be gone in the next 5 years. The biggest mistake, if you wanted to keep the brand around, was selling it off to a real business where only profit margins matter. That company will be cut down and then sold off in pieces.

 

[DEKE01]

The second comment on the bmw board was

Chrysler will be gone in the next 5 years. The biggest mistake, if you wanted to keep the brand around, was selling it off to a real business where only profit margins matter. That company will be cut down and then sold off in pieces.

If the company couldn't be profitable, it was going away no matter who owned it.

 

[sween]

I love the challenger but a challenger being dodge's flagship makes me sick. The whole point of a flagship is to be a car that not all can buy, limited production, top of its class (either luxury or performance) and when the average joe sees it he says "WOW I want a dodge ( or whatever brand makes that car) because they make that". The viper has all of those things, the challenger doesn't have any of them.

 

[Canyon707]

Calculated cuts are Chrysler's best hope | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press


QUOTE

The Viper sports car, while lovely to look at, doesn't make sense in the Dodge lineup. Dodge needs performance models, but an $84,460 two-seater is too far removed from the rest of the brand's lineup. The $37,995 425-horsepower Challenger SRT8 is Dodge's natural flagship.

i found this article on a bmw board i frequent and the first response was

yeahh but when you think of Dodge and Mopar u think VIPER...... i mean really whats the SRT image with out the Viper

I grew up with muscle cars. I think of dodge I think Dick Landy Dodge, Mellrose missile, so many others. Back then there was a battle going on in the top three. It was a fun time. It's over, I wonder what will be next.

 

[PatentLaw]

Chrysler is not going anywhere. There are no "pieces" to sell off. Who is going to buy them? Ford? GM? Nobody will buy the parts. Look at Jaguar.......Ford has been trying to deal them for years and they will get cents on the dollar. If economic times were different, then competitors may have more money and the economics would be different. Under todays economy......not possible.

 

[SweetRed04]

I wouldn't count the Viper out yet.

I think Vipers have enough brand value and enough inherent performance to keep them viable without major changes for many years. Powerplants are relatively easy to upgrade for power or revamp for efficiency as the market demands.

However, if it does come to pass in 2011, my '04 bought in '05 will be getting near the end of its 70,000 mile warranty and they will sell at least ONE more to me!!

After that one has been about 70,000 miles and if Viper is extinct, maybe GM will build a Corvette convertible enough better than my '69 Corvette to finally buy a new one.

If not, I can keep my '61 and '69 Corvette convertibles running as long as I am around. The Viper has electronics too tightly integrated into it for this MIT Class of '77 ME to keep one running forever.......

 

[Vipermann]

Calculated cuts are Chrysler's best hope | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press

QUOTE

The $37,995 425-horsepower Challenger SRT8 is Dodge's natural flagship.

Dumbest comment I can recall in recent years. Corvette is Chevy's flagship, with a 55-year performance history. Mustang is Ford's flagship. And while Mustang doesn't pack the performance of a Corvette, it makes up for it by being unquestionably popular and sold in HUGE volumes. The Challenger SRT-8 isn't even on the road yet, and most likely will be gone/discontinued before all the brochures are even used up, because of coming EPA requirements.

And God forbid, if Dodge marketing is really thinking that way, I can tell you (not as a Viper fan, but as a senior consumer marketing & advertising exec.), that Dodge is in for more trouble than I would have ever imagined.

Local newspapers falsely pretent to be objective when they really have agendas and loyalty issues. That article sounds like something Ford or GM would have been very happy to read ... the Detroit Free Press should pull it's nose out of Ford and GM's rear differential.

 

[Fast1]

These guys are idiots. The whole article is a contradiction. Get rid of models so that they can make others???? At one point they want to add a model to compete with the Ford escape, etc. Then they want to get rid of the compact SUV's because it is a declining market?????? Secondly, isn't the best way to sell multiple cars/variations to make them share platforms ?????? The best move Dodge has made is the Charger/300/Magnum/Challenger platform. Four great cars off of one platform that can share everything including that signature SRT nameplate.

One good thing is that they realize the minivan market is a dying breed.

 

[MikeR]

Kill the Viper and you might as well kill SRT. I wouldnt even think of buying other Chrysler products if it werent for the Viper. Just like Vette guys like to drive around in Chevy trucks and Porsche guys have a Cayenne as the family car, we have the Viper and will look at other Chrysler products. Im seriuosly thinking about a SRT8 Jeep. Its awesome. My buddy just got one, its the perfect replacement for the Viper on rainy days. But again, NO VIPER, NO CHRYSLER products will be in my garage. If Audi can have something like 22 different models all ranging from 30k to 100k then Chrysler or anyone else can too.

As I took this pic at ILLSMOQ's house, I thought wow, it sure is cool to see all the neat products Chrysler makes . It brings brand loyalty. I know there are many more garages that look like this and even better. We should have have called our other buddy over with his Viper and SRT8 and then send pics like this to Cerebus. Now ILLSMOQ, hurry up and finish my Paxton install so I can drive my Viper.

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[RoadiJeff]

Isn't this the same article that was posted in the General Viper Discussion forum two days ago?

http://forums.viperclub.org/general...ted-cuts-chryslers-best-hope.html#post2499811

 

[VIPER R]

Just curious, how many first time buyers of 2008 Vipers? I think the Viper is living mostly on the blood of previous owners and enthusiasts. The new blood is looking for something new. If the Hemi-challenger and Camaro are seen as new, it shows where the Viper crowd is headed along with the Viper.

 

[Vipermann]

Just curious, how many first time buyers of 2008 Vipers? I think the Viper is living mostly on the blood of previous owners and enthusiasts. The new blood is looking for something new. If the Hemi-challenger and Camaro are seen as new, it shows where the Viper crowd is headed along with the Viper.

Viper = $90,000+ Halo (image) car. Never intended to sell in large numbers -- whether to new buyers, or previous Viper owners.

 

[Racer Robbie]

Viper R has a good point here. i have a friend who works for a dealership on a part time basics. he is a retired viper certified tech. he has money and can buy anything he wants. He put his money down on a new SRT Challenger and not a Viper. He said it was more practical and he would get more use out of it. by the way he is 55.

 

[Dads Toy]

new here,

I have been trying to figure out what my next toy will be. Was a toss up between an older Vette or Viper. well the Viper wins hands down in my eyes. But I am turning 50 and also want to be able to take my daughter and grand daughter for a fun ride on the weekends. That's where the Challenger convertable comes in to the choices because of the 4 seats.

Love the looks of the Challenger and in convertable form it would be the right choice as far as Sunday drives with family. But I guess I can just go for 2 rides on the weekend, one for daughter and one for grand daughter and I get twice the fun.

 

[snake-charmer]

Dumbest comment I can recall in recent years. Corvette is Chevy's flagship, with a 55-year performance history. Mustang is Ford's flagship. And while Mustang doesn't pack the performance of a Corvette, it makes up for it by being unquestionably popular and sold in HUGE volumes. The Challenger SRT-8 isn't even on the road yet, and most likely will be gone/discontinued before all the brochures are even used up, because of coming EPA requirements.

And God forbid, if Dodge marketing is really thinking that way, I can tell you (not as a Viper fan, but as a senior consumer marketing & advertising exec.), that Dodge is in for more trouble than I would have ever imagined.

Local newspapers falsely pretent to be objective when they really have agendas and loyalty issues. That article sounds like something Ford or GM would have been very happy to read ... the Detroit Free Press should pull it's nose out of Ford and GM's rear differential.

I agree. The Viper is a miniscule piece of the profit picture for Chrysler, yet it serves an important role as a halo car that makes people go "wow, look at what they are doing". It would be a major mistake for Chysler to kill it IMO.

I would also say don't underestimate the power that you existing Viper owners have to influence Chrysler. Ford once tried to turn our beloved Pony Car into what was later called the "Probe". Thousands of phone calls, faxes, letters from us later, they figured out that turning the Mustang into a front-wheel drive econo-box was about as ******** as Coke messing with the original formula. Something you just don't do. If Chrysler offically says the Viper is gone, I think you might be surprised what a flood of phone calls, e-mails, etc, would do to convince them that's a dumb idea.

 

[BLWNGTS]

Ya... I bought the SRT-8 jeep after I went to VOI9! I have loyalty with the local VCA and both my good friends, MikeR and Illsmoq own vipers as well as another SRT8 jeep. I will second MikeR's comment that if I didn't have a Viper, I GUARANTEE I wouldn't have any other dodge product.... period.

ohh.. and Illsmoq... make sure you put the "special" tune in that we can remotely turn his power down when we do our Mexico Freeway Runs... hahahha

Kill the Viper and you might as well kill SRT. I wouldnt even think of buying other Chrysler products if it werent for the Viper. Just like Vette guys like to drive around in Chevy trucks and Porsche guys have a Cayenne as the family car, we have the Viper and will look at other Chrysler products. Im seriuosly thinking about a SRT8 Jeep. Its awesome. My buddy just got one, its the perfect replacement for the Viper on rainy days. But again, NO VIPER, NO CHRYSLER products will be in my garage. If Audi can have something like 22 different models all ranging from 30k to 100k then Chrysler or anyone else can too.

As I took this pic at ILLSMOQ's house, I thought wow, it sure is cool to see all the neat products Chrysler makes . It brings brand loyalty. I know there are many more garages that look like this and even better. We should have have called our other buddy over with his Viper and SRT8 and then send pics like this to Cerebus. Now ILLSMOQ, hurry up and finish my Paxton install so I can drive my Viper.

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[klamathpro]

All this talk and no action. The VCA better start getting a petition going now. It will be too late once it's official. SRT will be like SVT if we wait.

I too have been loyal to Chrysler because of the Viper. I just bought a Crossfire as my daily driver.

 

[ViperDude]

I don't think they will kill the Viper. Like another article said though, they likely will not advance it.

Cerberus will likely continue building and selling them as long as they are indeed SELLING, and then leave the next gen Viper research and production to whomever take Chrysler or Dodge off their hands when they goto sell it.

In no way is Cerberus going to hang on to Chrysler and/or every division of it longer than 3-4 years. They'll either dump the whole company to someone else or part out certain divisions.

It's like there will be a Jeep on ebay for $1.2 billion but then in the pictures it will show Jeep headquarters and a shot of the entire inventory.

 

[2000_Black_RT10]

Chrysler is not going anywhere. There are no "pieces" to sell off.

There's always been the suspicion since JTE (Jeep & Truck Engineering) is a different facility than the Auburn Hills complex (cars & minivan), about an hour or so drive between the two, you either work at one or the other. Some in-house people have said there isn't room for JTE (in a very old facility btw) to be moved into the more modern Auburn Hills facility, and some say there's a reason.. so it could be sold off.. These rumours have been going on for many years, but it's what they refer to regarding selling off pieces.

 

[Andrew/USPWR]

The only car I'd replace the Viper for would be the "FirePower".