Conner plant to close via new UAW contract..

[ViperTony]

I've read a few different articles about these plants closing down and just about every article quotes a Chrysler or UAW rep with something like this: "Virtually no Chrysler plant received commitments beyond the scope of their current product," the leaflet said, according to Bloomberg. "As a result, the plant-by-plant threats we've experienced ... will continue."

It doesn't appear there's a plan for the Viper beyond 2008 right now. I'm certain if Dodge announces a 2009 Viper the plant will stay open. Would love to know what the plans are for the Viper, will there be production in 2009,2010,etc? They might want to announce that soon.

 

[AviP]

I told ya!

The good news is that the Viper will become a legend. One day we'll tell our grandkids about it. And Chrysler might even release a 30th anniversary rerun. Of course it will be blue with white stripes.

The bad news is the Z06 will be the new king on hill. That hurts after these 15 wonderful years.

 

[viper77]

The lack of response from those close to the goings on at the plant is truly disturbing. They usually chime right in when there is gloom & doom on these boards. Either they are thinking of an educated response or there is truth to these reports. Come on guys or gals, give us some truthful news to the Vipers future. You are scaring me with your silence!

 

[Snakewatching]

I look at it this way:

1) I still want one - I am still looking for one - even if they stop making them.

2) the online comunity of the Vipers will still thrive - look at the Prowler - not made any more from Conner Assy Plant - still fun to own (I have a 2001
)- plenty of talk, mods, help, etc on Prowler Owners Assoc. web site.

3) Aftermarket parts might be an issue, but might not - Aftermarket people chime in with your opinion.

 

[RMBSRT]

It looks like I am going to have to order the Vert twin to my coupe early. I had planned on getting one in 2009 but that does not look like it is going to happen.

BTW - Where are all the SRT guys?

I think the Viper is done in 2 years max or until the current contracted parts orders are fulfilled. The clock has officially begun to tick....

 

[RMBSRT]

I look at it this way:

1) I still want one - I am still looking for one - even if they stop making them.

2) the online comunity of the Vipers will still thrive - look at the Prowler - not made any more from Conner Assy Plant - still fun to own (I have a 2001
)- plenty of talk, mods, help, etc on Prowler Owners Assoc. web site.

3) Aftermarket parts might be an issue, but might not - Aftermarket people chime in with your opinion.

I think if you plan on modding a viper, you should stay away from the 2008. I don't see tuners sinking allot of R&D money into a shrinking market.

 

[Andrew/USPWR]

I wonder how much the "$83 a barrel" price on crude oil has to do with this.

This could be like the 70's and an end to an era.

 

[RMBSRT]

I wonder how much the "$83 a barrel" price on crude oil has to do with this.

NAIL + HEAD = WHAM!!!!!

I think you just put all this in perspective.

 

[ledfoot]

$83 a barrel was the good old days.....it's 87 this morning

 

[GTSjbud]

Let's hear some comments/thoughts from Woodhouse and The Viper Wizard. They must know something. Yes No?

 

[Y2K5SRT]

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

Well, just in case this is the "Chris" you are talking about: Sure!

I read the posts, the articles, the union release and then made a couple calls to reaffirm my conclusions. Result? I slept like a baby last night. Here are some things to consider to help you sleep better as well:

1. "Product lifecycle" refers to the current generation/body style of the car. NOT the model itself. Assuming they build the Gen IV for roughly the same lifecycle as the previous Viper, that should give the plant a few more years (and the Viper who knows how many more beyond that). Heck, if you read all the plant announcements one of them refers to the minivan plant in St. Louis in the same basic terms. And if you think they are going to stop making minivans...
2. Think of the "heyday" of Conner Avenue when they were churning out not only a full production of Vipers, but also Prowlers right along side of them. Simple math tells you that the plant itself is operating at half the capacity it could be - at best. Assuming Cerberus is half as good as they say, any plant that is operating at half capacity (or less) should be evaluated and/or closed - it's fiscally responsible.
3. Conner ain't the only game in town. Sure, we all have an emotional attachment to the plant. I took factory delivery of my first Viper there in 1999 and it was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. With my family in tow we got to walk the line, meet many of the craftspeople, and see how our babies are born. It will be a very, very sad day when they lock the door for the last time. However, the Viper can easily be built elsewhere. Whether that be in-house alongside another model of some sort or even by a third party - it can be done. Saleen built every Ford GT and Roush builds every Viper Competition Coupe to name a couple examples.
4. That 2008 engine wasn't free. There was a LOT of money spent to develop it and I am guessing that a lot of the technologies used were to help keep it "EPA friendly" for the future. I don't think you drop millions in development only to build a thousand cars and quit. Especially when you consider
5. The Viper is profitable. Contrary to all the conspiracy theories that state that they practically pay us to take them, the car does generate a profit for the company. And that was dictated by the Germans long before Cerberus came into the picture.
6. Halo, is anybody out there? You have to be blind to ignore the "halo effect" this car has on the rest of the company. I would guess that the Viper has appeared on more magazine covers than any other car in the last two decades. Kids grow up dreaming of owning one someday - not Sebrings or Camry's. You can find one in the seat back of every single Southwest Airline seat and many other major airlines as well (more on that when I can get my scanner to work later today). And I will post another prime example elsewhere shortly.

The bottom line is that the Conner Avenue news shouldn't come as a surprise to anybody that follows the auto industry and plant capacity utilization. In a nutshell, the plant is grossly underutilized. So rather than continue to dump money into the plant (not the car), you allow it to run the current body style lifecycle while exploring other options. What are those other options? I don't know. But what I do know is that as long as people keep buying the car and people keep dreaming about owning one, I will sleep very, very well. And you should too.

 

[MoparMan]

Chris, you beat me to the post. The bottom line is that no where in the UAW agreement does it say that the Viper will cease production. As Chris said, there's already a significant investment in the 8.4 and there has been development work done on the ZC platform as well. The Viper will continue, but may or may not be sourced from Conner Ave. Relax everyone.

 

[viper77]

Thank you Chris!!!!
You put my mind at ease.
Viper lives on!

 

[SylvanSRT]

like menitoned above product lifecycle would also mean major changes that would consider the car "new"

 

[slaughterj]

Now can people please stop with the doom & gloom until there is something REAL to base it on? You all just sound like a bunch of scared little school girls with that routine. The sky isn't falling you know...

 

[Andrew/USPWR]

Thanks Chris, I love you man

You give me much relief. Now I'd like to do a CAAP delivery.

........I'm hoping for a silver tone in 09. Maybe an "aye see are"

 

[ViperTony]

I told ya!

Hey AviP :*****:

 

[SylvanSRT]

saleen really only half-built the ford gt the body/paint and shell happened in Troy(saleen) and then they shipped the car to Wixom to be completed at/within the Ford Wixom (although still under some Saleen supervision) plant for engine and interior install and final assy by Ford employees

 

[dave6666]

All the 2008's are now VIN # ******************FE

 

[dave6666]

Seems like the one day suspension is O-V-E-R

I'm FREE!

 

[Y2K5SRT]

All the 2008's are now VIN # ******************FE

 

[JGK95]

Chris,

I liked the sky is falling-ers, oil pricers, Black helicopters, nay sayers, I told you so'ers, whiners! They all made me laugh!

Then you had to go "Real World" and burst all of their bubbles.

Damn, you're a spoil sport!



Jay K.

 

[RMBSRT]

The ivestment in all of the 2008 upgrades were not made by the current owner. All the improvements were funded by DC and were written off after the sale. The current Viper platform has a fairly short lifecycle ahead of it with the new car regs in 2010. I just think if you want the raw viper as we know it, you better get one soon.

 

[ViperLSS]

Man has it been a long time since I last posted on these forums. After reading all your post I only have one thing to add.
If the Conner plant closes I'm out of a job. If the Viper is just moved to another assembly plant there is no guarantee I will follow it. And please, would you really want to work at another plant where the Viper isn't being built?
Well, let's see what the future holds.

 

[viperdrummer]

The bad signs are:

1Connor is dark this week--why?
2.Conner is being closed
3.Cerberus, who could care less about a small production, enthusiast car that dealers had great trouble moving in 06 is calling the shots.
4.An 08 car has not even started production in Mid Oct 07 --this following a year in which they made no car
5.And yes, those in the know on this board seem to be mum

If I was a conspiracy buff, I could imagine meeting going on now trying to figure out a way to gracefully back out of 08 production, much less future production.

 

[ledfoot]

not sure what the future holds, But I just pushed my wife and kids out of the way ,Went in the garage and hugged my Viper.

 

[Y2K5SRT]

The ivestment in all of the 2008 upgrades were not made by the current owner. All the improvements were funded by DC and were written off after the sale. The current Viper platform has a fairly short lifecycle ahead of it with the new car regs in 2010. I just think if you want the raw viper as we know it, you better get one soon.

Oh, I won't argue with buying Vipers when you can - whether it is 2008 or 2028. More car sales equals a stronger future regardless. But the new car regs shouldn't impact the Viper much (if at all) from what I understand. Airbags are good, emissions are good, etc. And again, why would a manufacturer knock off a profitable car, especially when it represents such a huge impact to the company's image overall? It's one thing if it was losing money or was a meaningless car lost in the cookie cutter shuffle, but it is neither.

And if you honestly think that SRT or the Viper team is going to make it a Corvette, well then you haven't been paying attention. Pick up any auto magazine discussing the 2008 (and there are a ton of them) and each one points out that the Viper is raw and is meant to stay that way. Search for direct quotes from guys like Herb Helbig and you may rethink your position.


PS. This is NOT directed at RMBSRT, but the general mindset of those writing the Viper off prematurely...

 

[Bill Pemberton Woodhouse]

One has to also remember that Conner is viewed only from the past, and developemental departments have discussed the inefficiency of a small plant working independently for years prior to Cerberus. The beauty is the great workers at the Plant, and the fact that the revamping has brought engine manufacture and vehicle production in house, together. There is a very real case that CAAP will prove the changeover for the 2008 will have made the system more efficient and things will continue as before. There has been no mention of discontinuing the Viper, just a review and possible closing of the plant. As noted by Chris, and others, that does not mean the Snake can not be done elsewhere, if a case is drawn that Conner is not the model of low production costs they aspire to.

 

[Y2K5SRT]

The bad signs are:

1Connor is dark this week--why?

Because they are starting up production on a new Viper powertrain with new suppliers, new body parts, etc.

2.Conner is being closed

Yep, they do that with antiquated facilities operating well below capacity.

3.Cerberus, who could care less about a small production, enthusiast car that dealers had great trouble moving in 06 is calling the shots.

And Cerberus, who likes things that make a profit, seems unlikely to kill a halo car unless it was bleeding cash. And the Viper most definitely is not.

4.An 08 car has not even started production in Mid Oct 07 --this following a year in which they made no car

Quick! Anybody remember when the 2003's were scheduled to start shipping? Early August of 2002. And when did they? December. It happens. Certainly nobody is that paranoid that they think the 2008 is suddenly going to disappear are they? And how in the world does a delayed start suddenly jeopardize the entire future of the car itself? It doesn't.

5.And yes, those in the know on this board seem to be mum

C'mon, you know that Chrysler is not allowed to comment on future product - ever. Of course we have already learned the 2011 color schemes and everything else in the VCA Members forum. Truth is, the few that may or may not be "in the know" on these forums are probably under an NDA of some sort anyway.

If I was a conspiracy buff, I could imagine meeting going on now trying to figure out a way to gracefully back out of 08 production, much less future production.

Well, you are definitely a conspiracy buff, but even your imagination is more creative than most...

 

[viperdrummer]

Because they are starting up production on a new Viper powertrain with new suppliers, new body parts, etc.

Yep, they do that with antiquated facilities operating well below capacity.

And Cerberus, who likes things that make a profit, seems unlikely to kill a halo car unless it was bleeding cash. And the Viper most definitely is not.

Quick! Anybody remember when the 2003's were scheduled to start shipping? Early August of 2002. And when did they? December. It happens. Certainly nobody is that paranoid that they think the 2008 is suddenly going to disappear are they? And how in the world does a delayed start suddenly jeopardize the entire future of the car itself? It doesn't.

C'mon, you know that Chrysler is not allowed to comment on future product - ever. Of course we have already learned the 2011 color schemes and everything else in the VCA Members forum. Truth is, the few that may or may not be "in the know" on these forums are probably under an NDA of some sort anyway.

Well, you are definitely a conspiracy buff, but even your imagination is more creative than most...

Believe me having bought 4 I hope Viper continues. But, also being a lawyer who spends a lot of time representing and advising Fortune 100 companies I am a realist. I am a charter member of this Board (back when there was just 1 run on thread) and I have never been so pessimistic on Viper's fate. I hope I am wrong. With what little we know I don't Vegas would take odds on Viper post 08.