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The Dodge Viper Is Alive!

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Six Flags Over Tomsk
07/10/09

In reply to The Dodge Viper Is Alive!
Good news during the Carpocalypse?! What's next, Krispy Kreme introducing beer-flavored donuts?
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Mad_Science
07/10/09

In reply to The Dodge Viper Is Alive!
Most halo cars are money losers, but their existence is justified as a marketing exercise.

Anyone know if they make money on Vipers? (or 'Vettes for that matter?)

I figure it's been around long enough on this body-style that the tooling might be paid for.
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Edited by Mad_Science at 07/10/09 8:32 PM Mad_Science was starred Mad_Science was unstarred

something_unique_and_descriptive
07/10/09

@Mad_Science: I have no idea but I too would guess the tooling was paid off and since they sell for $80k and there isn't a whole lot of expensive technological whizbangery I'd bet they aren't loosing money on them at this point. Might not be making much on 'em but just breaking even is a good start.
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Mobius
07/10/09

@Mad_Science: I'm pretty sure they make money on Vettes, GT-Rs, and indeed, most other halo sports cars. But the Veyron?
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evoCS-Hench-Minion to the stars
07/10/09

In reply to The Dodge Viper Is Alive!
Wow, that was one hell of a long press release for this happy speck of news.

Good on them for keeping it. Most brands, like most families, benefit from having an unhinged, somewhat uncouth member lurking in the gene pool.
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hglaber
07/10/09

In reply to The Dodge Viper Is Alive!
I hate to the the voice of dissent here, but if you had $80k to spend, and considering what else is available at that price point, would you really buy one? Would you buy a PT Cruiser if your budget was $20k? They may contribute something to the bottom line, but I have a hard time viewing these "Good news! We've decided to keep the feeding tube in on yet another tired, hoary, uncompetitive model!" press releases as It's Morning in Auburn Hills moments.
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Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet
07/10/09

@hglaber: I never understood why Chrysler needed to kill the Viper. It takes scant resources. The tooling is amortized. It ought to bank a healthy profit. It markets itself, and the rest of the lineup. It has low support and development costs. It could be freshened and updated, on a budget, but they can easily milk the platform for a few more years.
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Rushkie
07/10/09

@hglaber: Dude, seriously? I'm nowhere near a Viper fanboy, but give it some credit. So the base model may not be much to get excited about, but that's just for people who need something with stripes now isn't it?

For anyone who actually cares about their vehicular purchase, vipers are immanently tunable little ponies that people abuse the living hell out of on the strip and the track. The SRT-10 is certainly no slouch, and dear lord the ACR is one of the finest 4-wheeled machines in existence...

So it's not a luxury bubble-bath mobile, but unlike other cheaply-made, uncomfortable, interior-not-applicable track tools, chicks probably at least would know a Viper when they see one, so it still passes that test.
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Maymar
07/10/09

@hglaber: I can't say I would beyond a shadow of a doubt, but it's a hell of a visceral experience (something that's frequently lamented in given out field of increasingly disconnected commutermobiles), and the ACR is still faster around the Nurburgring than the GTR or ZR1 (which has to count for something). Plus, it appeals to my inner child. That little bastard is hard to ignore.
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hglaber
07/11/09

@Rushkie: I actually wasn't trying to slam the Viper as a worthless heap. The point I failed to clearly convey is that, while some media outlets (not this one) seem to be greeting these announcements as a sign that Chrysler is going to be OK, I just don't see it.

I have no doubt they'll make money on every Cruiser they sell. I don't know what, if anything, the Viper contributes to the bottom line but the PR value alone is probably worth keeping it. But these are not hugely competitive models, and in the case of the Cruiser it's a fairly competitive and important segment.

I'm not saying the decision to keep either is wrong. I'm a layman, not an auto executive, so I have no idea what the financials are. Even if I had their books in front of me I couldn't pass judgement on the decision. I am a simple photon herder that knows nothing of the auto business. All I'm saying is that continued sales of PT Cruisers and Vipers does not, to me, say that Chrysler's on the mend and everything will be ok. They may be ok, but keeping the Viper and Cruiser alive is not proof positive of that.
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Edited by hglaber at 07/11/09 9:01 AM hglaber was starred hglaber was unstarred

Novaload
07/11/09

@hglaber: OK, that makes sense--and I agree, it doesn't prove MoPar will live. But it means the Viper is still alive. And that is important for the automotive gene pool.
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dwegmull comments for the purpose of obscurity
07/10/09

In reply to The Dodge Viper Is Alive!
This is the best news I've heard all week! I wonder if they will keep it as is or if they will update it over time.
I had a look on their site: I had forgotten that it is available as a convertible...
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wkiernan
07/10/09

In reply to The Dodge Viper Is Alive!
All right! Good first step. Now step two is, kill all their other products. Step three is, start from scratch.
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something_unique_and_descriptive
07/10/09

@wkiernan: The Trucks, Minivans and Hemi engines can stay. The Wrangler needs a ballsier power plant, like, say, the old AMC straight six, but overall it's a pretty easy salvage job.

Everything else is either crap or way past due for a refresh.
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Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet
07/10/09

In reply to The Dodge Viper Is Alive!
Carpocalypse. Officially. Over.
And you are there.
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philibuster
07/10/09

In reply to The Dodge Viper Is Alive!
I rode in a mopar tuned viper once as a teenager. It was the biggest rush of acceleration I've ever experienced in a car. It went from stop sign to 100mph in something like 7 seconds. Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating, but it was fast. Viva la viper!
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Maymar
07/10/09

@philibuster: I got to ride in one at a Chrysler ride and drive event, it was fantastic. Brutal acceleration, noise and fury out the ass (I know, side pipes), and feels like sitting in a mutant bathtub. Although riding in the Ram SRT-10 is a bigger mindfuck - 9/10ths the acceleration and noise, but the driver was in a different area code.
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Hello Mister Walrus
07/10/09

In reply to The Dodge Viper Is Alive!
I don't think this really matters, unless they come up with a materially different new model. The Viper was made to promote Dodge's brand image. Now that it's been in production so long, and so few are around that no one will really notice if they stop making it.
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LoganSix
07/10/09

@Hello Mister Walrus: Have you heard of a car called the Corvette?
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Hello Mister Walrus
07/10/09

@LoganSix: Doesn't matter. Dodge does not make money from selling so few Vipers. If the Corvette took all its market share, it would make no material difference.
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LoganSix
07/10/09

@Hello Mister Walrus: My sources tell me that Dodge makes money off of each Viper it sells. The only thing that slowed down Viper sales was Dodge pulling support in racing. With your logic, Rolls Royce should stop selling cars because who needs another large luxurious big car.
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Hello Mister Walrus
07/11/09

@LoganSix: You misunderstand. Even if Viper is a profitable brand, Dodge makes so little from it in comparison to its overall revenue that cutting it altogether would not have any materially adverse affects. By selling the brand, they would get cash that they need to cover their other fixed expenses, rather than having to drain more taxpayer money. Rolls Royce is not owned by a bankrupt company, so that's not a valid comparison at all. Check your "sources" again, maybe they will have something substantiated to say this time.
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drewdrawshashtags
07/11/09

@Hello Mister Walrus: Chryslat is no longer bankrupt in anything other than product, so if they can sell a few Vipers at a profit as a halo over the everyday crap they sell in their dealerships, I think it's a good step in the right direction.
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ƒß✓
07/10/09

In reply to The Dodge Viper Is Alive!
Yes! I have hope again! (That's allowed, isn't it?) The leader of the minivan segment has brought its cold-blooded killer back!
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.357
07/10/09

In reply to The Dodge Viper Is Alive!
This is great. The Viper is a crazy son of a bitch. It's the best way to describe it. It will bite. No compromises or luxuries. Pure driving and adrenaline. There is a great used market for Vipers. It is venomous and powerful.
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skaycog was here
07/10/09

In reply to The Dodge Viper Is Alive!
I didn't know there were 25,000 units built. I wonder why they changed their mind to continue production?
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something_unique_and_descriptive
07/10/09

@skaycog - 1000 Club: I'm guessing someone went back and looked through all their promotions and said "Hey, you know that Viper thing we built? Yeah, that's the only thing we never had to put cash or a lifetime warranty on in order to move... maybe we shouldn't have killed it."
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Jo Schmo
07/10/09

In reply to The Dodge Viper Is Alive!
Good new from Chrysler? Whodathunkit? Hopefully they de-crapify it in the third iteration.
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PowerTryp, Starless wonder.
07/10/09

In reply to The Dodge Viper Is Alive!
HALLELUJA! Thats the best news Dodge could release in this time of despare and woe.
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mr_dude
07/10/09

@PowerTryp: I would have settled for "we're recalling all PT Cruisers and Sebrings and sending them on a barge to the great pacific garbage patch".
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mr_dude
07/10/09

In reply to The Dodge Viper Is Alive!
This is funny after the GM rant, but seems tractable. Though I don't think it'll pack the same punch with a Fiat 500 engine shoehorned in.

Whatever the case, raise happy hour glasses to the return of the snake.
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something_unique_and_descriptive
07/10/09

@mr_dude: But think of the awesomeness that could be created with the leftover Viper engines and 500 shells...
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mr_dude
07/10/09

@something_unique_and_descripti...: And to make the swap work - the world's first vertically oriented engine.
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