Chrysler May Sell Viper — The Brand

Bob Nardelli, Chrysler’s Chairman and CEO, stated this morning that the company has "been approached by third parties who are interested in exploring future possibilities for Viper," according to Automotive News. Apparently, rather than just dropping Viper, Chrysler is now “exploring strategic options” for the Viper brand, meaning they’re trying to figure out how much money they can get for it. It's still unclear what any potential buyer would get: as we exclusively revealed in February, the company has halted Viper development.

"As the Company evaluates strategic options to maximize core operations and leverage its assets, we have agreed to listen to these parties. We will do so keeping in mind the best interests of those who have shown tremendous support for the vehicle- including employees, suppliers, dealers and a worldwide group of loyal Viper owners and enthusiasts,” Nardelli continued, “Viper is an integral part of this Company's heritage. While this is a strategic review, our intent would be to offer strong operational and financial support during any potential transaction, in order to ensure a future for the Viper business and perpetuate the legacy of this great vehicle."

Jalopnik Snap Judgment: Why purchase Viper? Surely the current 2008 Dodge Viper SRT10 — a refresh of the 2003 model — is nearing the end of its useful life. Vehicles like the 2009 Nissan GT-R and 2009 Corvette ZR1 now offer considerably greater track performance combined with user friendliness and good road manners. All any potential buyer would receive would be a soon-to-be-outdated car, a brand with an image problem and the need to jump-start development on a replacement. If we were going to get into the supercar game, we’d start a fresh brand with a fresh product, free of the sins of the 1992 Dodge Viper RT/10 convertible its fathers. [Source: Automotive News, Sub. Req.]

Send an email to Wes Siler, the author of this post, at wes@jalopnik.com.

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