Viper moving "upmarket"?

[pitviper]

Viper moving \"upmarket\"?

interesting...

http://www.leftlanenews.com/2006/08/22/viper-to-move-upmarket-firepower-nears-approval/

pit

 

[Andrew/USPWR]

Re: Viper moving

Interesting.



2005 Silver SRT/10
2000 Steel Gray GTS (sold)

 

[wormdoggy]

Re: Viper moving

I wonder how the challenger will fit into this market segment. And the new price point for the Viper. !

GM just announced yesterday that they will be producing the Camaro to be built in Toronto. I think we will be entering a new era where muscle cars are going to be seen a lot more on the roads.

Patrick

 

[zorroespanol]

Re: Viper moving

Very nice... I wanted it to go up as well.

IMHO it should fill the gap between Vettes and Ferraris.... not be down where the vettes are now.

 

[MoparMan]

Re: Viper moving

They will have to make alot of changes to the Viper to market it in the $100k plus segment. Buyers in that range are looking for more than just the raw car we all love.

 

[Fred(DrivingSchool)Kinder]

Re: Viper moving

Power, handling, braking, light weight will sell IMHO.
Saleen S7, Ford GT need a 100k sports car that will smoke both. No electronic nanny required or wanted.

 

[Andrew/USPWR]

Re: Viper moving

They will have to make alot of changes to the Viper to market it in the $100k plus segment. Buyers in that range are looking for more than just the raw car we all love.

I think your right




2005 Silver SRT/10
2000 Steel Gray GTS (sold)

 

[DocAdam]

Re: Viper moving

The firepower looks pretty upmarket to me, with the fancy interior, automatic tranny and all the comfy leather. It looks like a potential Aston Martin if you just change the badging.

The Viper should never move "upmarket." It is a car meant to be raw, and if you want to move up market they will either need to lose the character that made us love it in the first place (ie go Benz SL600 on it) or make it so obscene in the performance department that the price is justified (carbon fiber, light weight, serious power and enzo matching performance).

I think they will try to do a little of both and end up screwing the pooch.

 

[zorroespanol]

Re: Viper moving

The firepower looks pretty upmarket to me, with the fancy interior, automatic tranny and all the comfy leather. It looks like a potential Aston Martin if you just change the badging.

The Viper should never move "upmarket." It is a car meant to be raw, and if you want to move up market they will either need to lose the character that made us love it in the first place (ie go Benz SL600 on it) or make it so obscene in the performance department that the price is justified (carbon fiber, light weight, serious power and enzo matching performance).

I think they will try to do a little of both and end up screwing the pooch.

I agree Doc. When I said I was glad it was going upmarket, I was hoping for your #2 option....

 

[ROCKET62]

Re: Viper moving

So what price are they targeting for the Firepower? It's a Chrysler - so how many will they sell if the price point is at $65K?

If the Viper price point would be somewhere close to list - instead of the discounted price it would be in the $85K range and a 33% premium to the firepower.

Just my 2 cents worth!

 

[Bobpantax]

Re: Viper moving

Total cost of new coupe with five spoke wheels plus Paxton supercharger plus Eibachs and Motons plus Corsa Track catback plus competition oil pan - all installed is more than $100,000.00. Does not take that much to get there.

 

[MoparMan]

Re: Viper moving

My concern is that they are going to price both cars out of existence. If the Firepower! is priced close to the 'vette then it should be a winner, but if they price it in the $65k ot $70k range then they will have another Crossfire type debacle on their hands. The same holds true of the Viper. I could see it going up to as much as $95k, but over that, they may find that it does not sell at all.

 

[Snakester]

Re: Viper moving

Total cost of new coupe with five spoke wheels plus Paxton supercharger plus Eibachs and Motons plus Corsa Track catback plus competition oil pan - all installed is more than $100,000.00. Does not take that much to get there.

If DC added those mods to the Viper as factory stock, they would sell like hotcakes, even at $100K+
The Porsche 997S can easily top $100K with just ceramic brakes and cosmetic packages.
The Gen II ACR Vipers were over $90K and sold just fine (in limited numbers).

Having 700HP and an even more performance oriented nature, adjustable suspension, plus some more upmarket interior materials, and heat insulation will definitely attract those people as buyers, even asking $20K more for the factory performance mods.

The Firepower is in a tighter spot, with the $45K Corvette, SLK, Z4 and Boxster on one side, and the SL500, Jag XK, and BMW 6 Series on the upper end of that market. There is a nice spot in the $55K-$65K luxury/performance coupe range.
But DC needs to really nail the luxury, fit, and finish side to be seriously considered against the world reknown European luxury/performance competitors.

 

[VENOMAHOLIC]

Re: Viper moving

I think that the Firepower should compete head to head with the Cadillac XLR. Give it all the luxury, heated seats, GPS maps, etc. The XLR sells at almost Z06 level pricing.

Let the Viper compete on performance and styling alone like it always has. Luxury adds weight so leave it off. Pricing needs to stay as it is now. If people are in $100k and higher market, European exotics are what they are generally looking for. Since Vipers are built in America, they should be less expensive than Europeans since there is no importing involved.

 

[KWIK96]

Re: Viper moving

Looks like we will become "refined"
LMAO

 

[elanderholm]

Re: Viper moving

Hey, more vehicles sharing the viper platform can only mean good things for the viper. The viper will have other car sales to subsidize its development costs. The Z06 comes to mind....

 

[KMODStang]

Re: Viper moving

i dont like it that much, it looks like a misbreed between a crossfire and an aston martin imo

 

[Camfab]

Re: Viper moving

The Viper is a Halo car. Except it's misplaced the Halo. It will sell at 100+ K, if and only if it returns as the undisputed King. The old days of one weak competitor are over. When you actually hear about comparisons between a Mustang and a Viper it's pretty much the nail in the coffin. Sorry but Vipers parents have moved on to the competition, and it's new parents are loyal to Germany first.