I looked again at the Automotive News article this morning and also saw the same from their affiliate Autoweek, thanks Ralph for the next generation and continuation of Viper!
Chrysler introduced the 2012 Viper and the pickup truck concept with a touch of drama. At the end of his hour-long speech to dealers, Marchionne closed with a story.
“There are times when you are given the opportunity to give life to something which is so beautiful and unique, so just and equitable, that you pay a lot less attention to the numbers, to the financial reality that surrounds it. They happen only rarely. In my case, three times in more than 15 years as chief executive.”
He recounted a series of conversations he had had with Ralph Gilles, Dodge CEO and chief of design for all Chrysler brands.
“We had been debating this particular nameplate for a long time, and every time I just could not get there. And then one morning the product committee went into the dome and saw it, and we all knew we were in front of something magic, unique. It took less than five minutes for the committee to fund the initiative. Not a negative comment, not a remark, not a single question. And so I leave you with this. The 17th car in the lineup, in select dealers in 2012.”
And the Viper emerged from the wings.
