Conner plant to close via new UAW contract..

[RMBSRT]

I just read this on the Wall Street Journal online edition regarding the new UAW contract with Chrysler....

"Two U.S. plants have already been identified for closure: a sport-utility plant in Newark, Del., and the small Conner Avenue plant in Detroit, where Chrysler produces the Viper sports car in limited numbers."

Not good for the Viper....

 

[RMBSRT]

Conner plant to close via new UAW agreement..

I just read this on the Wall Street Journal online edtion regarding the new UAW contract with Chrysler...

"Two U.S. plants have already been identified for closure: a sport-utility plant in Newark, Del., and the small Conner Avenue plant in Detroit, where Chrysler produces the Viper sports car in limited numbers."

This does not sound good for the Viper..

 

[Jeff Lemke]

Re: Conner plant to close via new UAW agreement..

More info PLEASE!

 

[RMBSRT]

Re: Conner plant to close via new UAW agreement..

The summary says the factory will stay open thru the current Viper life cycle. It is slated to close after that. The 127 employees would be absorbed into other Chrysler factories. It says "the UAW will continue to advocate for new product."

 

[SylvanSRT]

Re: Conner plant to close via new UAW agreement..

slated to close when? end of contract term?

probably move production to another facility, I hope!

 

[RMBSRT]

Re: Conner plant to close via new UAW agreement..

It says "Company plans to close factory during term of agreement."

Maybe Saleen will build the next generation Viper under contract?

 

[FE 065]

This article implies the Conner plant is reducing overtime...

 

[RMBSRT]

Look on page 14 of PDF...

http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/WSJ071015-UAW_Chrysler.pdf

 

[SylvanSRT]

i have been told in the many times i have been there that overtime is almost nonexistent there anyway

 

[ledfoot]

The fact that this thread got moved off the SRT Forum , Makes me a little quezzy.

 

[PatentLaw]

The people who make these beautiful automobiles should
not be out of a job. We appreciate their work and dedication to one of
the finest automobiles ever built. Their quality work shows.

 

[viperdrummer]

Hate to say I saw this one coming BUT. It's been a good run, boys. I have enjoyed all 3 Gens but so many things have pointed to the end of this car.

 

[agentf1]

Hate to say I saw this one coming BUT. It's been a good run, boys. I have enjoyed all 3 Gens but so many things have pointed to the end of this car.

Oh my god... I will believe it when I see it, but then stranger things have happened. It would be a shame to see Chrysler get rid of their halo car.

 

[Vipermann]

Re: Conner plant to close via new UAW agreement..

It says "Company plans to close factory during term of agreement."

Maybe Saleen will build the next generation Viper under contract?

You would have to assume that Saleen would be a definite possibility. Alternatively, it could also mean that any future generation of Viper would be a very different car, possibly with another shared platform.

However, that Chrysler (Firepower) concept of the current Viper is probably very dead now for sure.

 

[viperdrummer]

Re: Conner plant to close via new UAW agreement..

You would have to assume that Saleen would be a definite possibility. Alternatively, it could also mean that any future generation of Viper would be a very different car, possibly with another shared platform.

However, that Chrysler (Firepower) concept of the current Viper is probably very dead now for sure.

Why would Chrysler give up the Viper name/liscensing,etc anymore than they would have give up the 300 or Ford would give up T-bird or Taurus? One day they may want to bring it back or whoever Cerberus sells it to will.

 

[Vipermann]

Re: Conner plant to close via new UAW agreement..

Why would Chrysler give up the Viper name/liscensing,etc anymore than they would have give up the 300 or Ford would give up T-bird or Taurus? One day they may want to bring it back or whoever Cerberus sells it to will.

No, Saleen could possibly handle all aspects of production -- as they've done before.

 

[Y2K5SRT]

The fact that this thread got moved off the SRT Forum , Makes me a little quezzy.

Actually, it got MERGED as you will notice that the original thread-starter posted it in two different forums (kind of a no-no but not a big deal) - this one and the SRT forums. As Conner has made a LOT more than just SRT's (like the vast majority of Vipers altogether), we decided that it was "general" Viper discussion and not just SRT. So we merged the two threads and this is it. Rest assured there are no black helicopters lurking this time...

 

[Andrew/USPWR]

This would seriously say Dodge is staying 3rd out of the big 3.

 

[Andrew/USPWR]

WSJ
"Two U.S. plants have already been identified for closure: a sport-utility plant in Newark, Del., and the small Conner Avenue plant in Detroit, where Chrysler produces the Viper sports car in limited numbers.

The contract summary said the UAW will "advocate" for new products to be built in St. Louis, Newark and Conner Avenue."

WTH

 

[ledfoot]

Chris, I know your out there......care to comment on this ****.

 

[Yellow32]

Re: Conner plant to close via new UAW agreement..

It says "Company plans to close factory during term of agreement."

Maybe Saleen will build the next generation Viper under contract?

The "term of the agreement" is 4 YEARS...so, closing CAAP during the "term" could mean very soon or in 3.5 years...

-J

 

[Warfang]

The Guidos must've seen all the anti-union stands we were taking.

 

[Warfang]

Frankly, I'd rather see the demise of a great brand like the Viper than to let whiners dilute it to the point where it's just a corvette/porsche clone. Also, Vipers should be held up high as a Halo car, and not the ugly stepchild like DC had been doing for so many years... keeping the Viper performance in check while tuning every line of MB cars to have a model that outperforms the Viper.

If you're not going to treat the Viper right, let it die while people still have fond memories of it. And maybe in the future, some CEO with real balls will bring it back. Until then... I'm waiting on my gts price to go up.

 

[Nsane1]

Great post warfang. Think of all the muscle cars that were watered down until the end of their life, there is something to be said about going out on top.

 

[V10SpeedLuvr]

I agree, I'd rather see the Viper die than become a mass produced sportscar or a v6, 200HP version become available. I hope it doesn't die, but I'd rather see a quick and painless death rather than making it hang around for another 10 years in only a shell of its former self (V6's, mass produced, etc)

 

[Andrew/USPWR]

Don’t know if we should write the obituary just yet. Dodge has fooled us before.
A Gen V would be a completely new Viper so why not have it built in a completely new facility?

But from a business point of view, what will this do to the sales of the 08’s? Makes me want to hurry up and order one now.

 

[Mopar488]

If you look at companies like Cerberus, they are takeover companies that get a company healthy enough to sell it and make the few equity owners of the company ultra rich in the process. Bottom lines are all that matter to them. I am not privy to their balance sheet, but it makes me wonder if the Viper is a contributor to their bottom line. If not, well I guess we all know the answer for the Viper. I would hate to see it's demise since I have had 2 of them, but sometimes business decisions are made that are not going to make everybody happy.

 

[Vipermann]

Folks. Time out. Think. The Viper is more profitable right now than it was in '03. If variable profit was an issue, they wouldn't have held the price flat. The R&D costs have already been captured -- they didn't do a complete major redesign for '08, so they don't have huge capital to depreciate.

The current '08+ Viper will be sold for as long as they have reasonable orders. The issue here is when it's time for a major redesign investment (over the next 4 years), and that doesn't look good. But I'll bet there will be '09 model year and maybe even 2010 model year Vipers that get sold through dealers.

 

[viper GTS-R]

This really isn't cool....It's like the start of my worst nightmare...

1. That freakin Firepower is a threat, never liked that catfish looking ****. Somehow I have a feeling it's gonna be built but it won't last.

2. GOD what if Cheby takes the viper...no...not possible I need some fresh air.

3. Viper prices are going to go up if this happens...right?

--RS

 

[mike & juli]

Closing the Conner Ave plant will affect MANY aspects--trickle-down effect if you will. Will take business away from the plants that now make parts specifically for the Viper....that includes the U.S. plants AND Canadian ones. We are holding onto our '05!~~~juli
**Agreed that the Viper should remain in production, but if decisions have to be made, then agreed also the Viper should remain in memory as the DRIVERS' car that it is...there is no other BEAST like it** Hope for Firepower? Would like to see THAT one produced.
~juli