Yes people will, in this economy the only thing selling is total el-cheapo crap or top of the line products. If the new Viper is totally over the top in terms of styling, performance, etc, it will sell very well regardless of the price. If Dodge builds 2500 units the first year, in a world-wide market that would sell out very fast. The key is to have something that your neighbor doesn't have and will kick the a$$ of anything he does have.
I was at a EuroSunday event this weekend where I met one guy that already had the new Lambo Aventador on order and was waiting for its delivery.....he drove to the event in his Mercedes SLR McLaren. The money is out there, the key is to make something that those that have it want to buy.
If the engine is a bigger displacement unit, it may be done to get better mileage. If the Viper gets some sort of variable cylinder cut off, then with more cubes it can stay in 5 cylinder mode longer since it has enough cubic inches to pull highway speeds, mild acceleratin, etc with no problem. A SRT engineer explained to me that was one of the biggest reasons the new SRT V-8 gets better mileage.....more cubic inches allows it to stay in 4 cylinder mode longer.
Cheers,
George