No More Dodge!!!!!!!!!

[99 R/T 10]

Seems unlikely, but.........................

http://jalopnik.com/5867703/2013-srt-viper-slithers-free-of-dodge-name

Is this good or bad?


Good thing as I see it, CAAP is re-opening!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[ViperTony]

So long as Ralph and SRT are involved it's all good.

 

[bluesrt]

i vote for a good thing

 

[FrgMstr]

Welcome to June?

 

[Bobpantax]

It makes perfect sense. SRT is now a brand. So the Viper will be an SRT Viper. It is the only SRT product that does not have "normal" variants of the same car.

 

[ViperCollector]

Official announcement: http://blog.chryslerllc.com/blog.do?p=entry&id=1644

 

[v10enomous]

That's because the Dodge name may not command the pricing on the new car. I'd like to see the Cuda' name revived under SRT though.

 

[01sapphirebob]

KInda figured this was coming. If fact, I think it was mentioned in one of the last issues of Viper Magazine I think. As mentioned above, as long as Ralph and team SRT are involed (which they are) only good can come of this.

 

[Mopar Boy]

I was always very proud it carried the name Dodge on it. I do agree with Ralph and SRT behind it is good, but I am dissapointed to see the Dodge part dropped. I do understand what FIAT is trying to do by dropping Dodge infront of Ram, etc; but I still believe it should.

It would be like dropping Jeep from the YJ or Cherokee. It is just not right!

Hoping Jalopnik is wrong.

 

[sween]

Autoblog reported the same thing. Its like Ram now its not a dodge ram, Ram is its own brand

 

[georgethedog]

I don't like it, but that is just my opinion.

Like V10enomous said, I believe it is a way being able to command higher prices than under the Dodge name. A bit like Toyota did with Lexus but maybe not to that extent.

 

[Neil - UK]

[h=3]off the chrysler media site:



The Snake Returns to Chrysler Group’s Conner Avenue Assembly Plant[/h][h=5]

• Conner Plant reopens to produce 2013 SRT Viper
• Nearly 150 jobs to return to Detroit
• New Viper to roll off the line in late 2012

[/h]December 13, 2011 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - Chrysler Group LLC announced today that it will reopen its Conner Avenue Assembly Plant in Detroit for the production of the next generation SRT Viper. With the plant’s reopening, nearly 150 jobs, both hourly and salaried, will return to the City of Detroit.

The Conner facility was idled when production of the Dodge Viper ended in July 2010.

“The next generation Viper will make its return to the product lineup in late 2012 as a 2013 model,” said Ralph Gilles, President and Chief Executive Officer - SRT Brand and Motorsports, Chrysler Group LLC. “We’re extremely excited that our ultimate American sports car will continue to live on and be produced exclusively here in the Motor City.”

Current Chrysler Group hourly employees who previously worked at Conner were first offered the opportunity to return to their home plant. The balance of the positions will be filled by hourly employees volunteering to transfer to the Conner Avenue plant.

Conner Avenue will begin building the new Viper in late 2012, but employees began reporting for training and orientation this fall.

In preparation for the reopening, the Conner facility will begin its transformation by implementing World Class Manufacturing (WCM), a system that is focused on reducing waste and making continuous improvements throughout the assembly process to improve quality and productivity.

Viper production began in May 1992 at the New Mack Assembly Plant, then moved to the Conner Avenue site in October 1995. All Vipers that rolled off the line were hand-built in a low-volume, modular process. Over the course of 15 years, Conner Avenue employees built about 12 vehicles a day for a total of 22,070 Vipers.

The reopening of the Conner Avenue Assembly Plant reaffirms Chrysler Group’s commitment to the City of Detroit as the only auto manufacturer with two assembly plants in the city.

 

[99 R/T 10]

On the fox news website:

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2011/12/13/dodge-viper-returning-to-detroit/?test=faces

Video:

http://video.foxnews.com/v/1069589982001/chryslers-king-of-cool

 

[JonB]

Plymouth Prowler became Chrysler Prowler.

Dodge Ram became Ram....gave up a LOT of Dodge name recognition and brand loyalty....or did it?

Dodge Viper becoming SRT Viper......? {the wonder is Challenger, Charger, Jeep SRT-8 variants?}

2010 Final Edition Dodge Vipers might really be this time after all ?!?

 

[Leojmcca]

A rose by any other name:

I guess they got tired of people saying, but it's a Dodge.

 

[georgethedog]

SRT Viper is fine I suppose. Sounds like a nice marketing gimmick to get the price higher.

 

[Mopar Steve]

Call it anything you want, the public still will see it as a Dodge Viper. A Corvette is not like any other Chevy. It is almost a brand in itself but the world still will always know it as a Chevy Corvette. The Viper will always be the Dodge Viper regardless of the name badge or not.

I see that as a both the good and the bad. Like they say you cant choose your family, sometimes that is good and sometimes not. The Viper was born of the Dodge family and will continue to be known as a Family member.

 

[VYPR BYT 94]

I kinda think if Ram can be it's own brand then CERTAINLY Viper can be it's own brand!!

 

[sfm79]

I wonder if that means an end to the cross hair grill?

 

[PatentLaw]

Tell you what....

If they don't want to use the Dodge nameplate, I will buy it off of them for a couple of bucks. All that intellectual property, good will and history. Seems like there is a lot of value there to me.

 

[1HOTV10]

We all know the Viper is the Flagship for all Chrysler/Dodge/Ram products.


The Cat was let out of the bag November 16th. And the SoCal Vipers were invited.


"We made history in Los Angeles"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzCSVVECLnA

 

[Viper #53]

When the Viper first launched I remember the angst within Chrysler to set up specific dealers to sell and service the Viper. I heard the Unions killed the idea. Brands take time to build. SRT as a performance brand makes sense, but it will take time and effort to stick. The question is what will become of Dodge if it shifts away from the performance brand within Chrysler. It seems more equated to an AMG than a standalone brand. Personally, brands don't matter to me, great products matter. I would never have considered a Chrysler product built from 1973-1991. Viper drove me back to purchasing a Chrysler product, not the brand.

 

[George Farris]

My 2011 "RAM" has the word "DODGE" right in the middle of the dash.

Have always been proud to own Dodges ...

Will put a "DODGE" windshield banner on the SRT Viper and love it that much more!!!

 

[viper067]

I would think this paves the way down the road for a Dodge Viper with a V8 instead of a 10, perhaps an automatic, and in yellow of course

 

[ViperTony]

I would think this paves the way down the road for a Dodge Viper with a V8 instead of a 10, perhaps an automatic, and in yellow of course

*SIGH*

 

[v10enomous]

I would think this paves the way down the road for a Dodge Viper with a V8 instead of a 10, perhaps an automatic, and in yellow of course

I guess I'm just not seeing the connection

 

[viper067]

I'm not sure what connection you are unable to make.....

The Viper is an expensive car to design / build .... it cannot sustain itself with the sales numbers that it has had. In order for the Viper to continue to move forward, it is highly likely that in a couple of years they will have a tamer version with broader appeal and lower price tag that would steal some of the buyers from the corvette and other contender world. To do this it would need less power, more amenities such as automatic, more creature comforts, etc ... clearly this could not be an SRT car, but would attach itself to one of the other brands and you would have a dodge viper and a viper srt/10

Just my theory .... in about 3 years you can tell me I was right or wrong

 

[7TH_SIGN]

That's interesting. I will still think of Dodge when I hear Viper. Now if they eliminate the V10 in replacement for a V8, it will no longer be a Viper in my eyes.

 

[Vipuronr]

I agree with all....I feel kinda sad that the Dodge name (Dodge Brothers) name will not live on with the Viper. But, Dodge is and never was a high end brand and it seems that the new Viper will be a pretty expensive car as cars go....generally close to and over $100k (as some are now). The Dodge name can do nothing to help promote a high end sports car to compete with the likes of Porsche and the like. I think Corvette suffers some of the same issue with Chevy attached to it.

I am for anything that makes the Viper a successful car in the world of higher end sports cars and get the respect it deserves. Maybe the the sophistication that the Gen V receives, it will step up into this place in the world and stop being called a "kit car" as many of the Gen I/II's were called!

 

[Dale.Volz]

Breaks my heart, and it seems like a bone-headed marketing move. The Dodge name will draw potential customers into the Dodge showrooms.

Interestingly the Viper to be campaigned in the Grand Am Rolex GT series and the 2 Challengers to be campaigned in the Grand Am Continental Tire GS series for 2012 are sponsored by Dodge Motorsports //, not SRT. Go figure.