Dodge Ram Hellcat-another nail in Dodge (former SRT) Viper's coffin

As much as Chrysler should be commended for rather exemplary horsepower and drag strip bitch slapping of the newest Corvette Z06, courtesy of Dodge Challenger and Charger Hellcats, there is a rather peculiar trend in the Chrysler's marketing campaign aimed at gearheads and power junkies in US and it is not one that benefits the already ailing Dodge Viper.

Typically, when mainstream auto manufacturer creates a halo car, it includes the most technology available and/or most horsepower.  This has been the case with Ford (Ford GT) and Chevrolet (Corvette C6 ZR1 and C7 Z06).

Until recently, this has also been the case with Chrysler and its halo car, Dodge Viper.  However, after Ralph Gilles botched the Generation 5 introduction, turning both the idiotic SRT pseudo brand and Generation 5 Viper into a textbook example of how not to market cars and making G5 Viper the epitome of sales failure, this is no longer the case.

After premature and certainly not voluntary departure of both SRT and Gilles, the new Dodge CEO Kunakis, literally dethroned the Viper from its former horsepower distinction.  The result is that the horsepower king title no longer belongs to the Viper, the king is dead and permanently replaced by the evil Hellcat twins.

So why is this a permanent condition and why Viper will be laid to completely undeserved rest at least for a while?  The answer lies in the newest Dodge concept vehicle: Dodge Ram Hellcat.

In the past, the Dodge Ram gained notoriety through serious power injection coming from no other but Dodge Viper SRT10, simply because this was the pinnacle of horsepower at Chrysler at that time, with Viper being the halo car and horsepower king.

Unfortunately, this is no longer the case and the current iteration of V10 producing 645 hp in the latest Dodge Viper, no longer stirs up the attention that the Hellcat supercharged Hemi V8 gathers.  Sad but true but the Chrysler former horsepower king is no more and no longer it is an inspiration for Chrysler concept vehicles.

The Hellcat equipped Ram will certainly sell well since horsepower sells and outrageous horsepower at low price sells even better.  As much as the new Ram Hellcat concept spells the future for Chrysler, it also spells the end of the road for the Viper.  The fact that Chrysler is not willing to make accommodations for the Hellcat engine on the Viper platform and that the winged version of the Viper called ACR is as good as it gets for the Viper, is a rather strong clue that the Viper is officially dead, no matter how much Viper enthusiasts may argue the point.  Too bad Chrysler did not learn from Porsche that there is a difference between buyer loyalty driven exterior and anachronism and anachronism is exactly what Viper has become.

To make this point clear: in spite of visual heritage, Porsche 911 became a completely different car underneath, unlike the Viper that not only looks the same as its second generation but it is virtually unchanged underneath, including the obsolete short wheelbase chassis.

2015 Dodge Viper ACR (concept?) is a major disappointment

The 5th generation of Viper had been accused on more than one occasion for being nothing more than a rehashed previous generation of Viper and apparently the newest entry from Dodge (is this SRT or Dodge or what?) continues with this unfortunate tradition.

That 5th generation of Viper is a major failure, both commercially and in the imagination stirring department is already a well established fact.  If the best Dodge can do now is to add a set of ground effects that look eerily like the ground effects on the last ACR and rehash of the old stripes, the Viper should be put to rest, either permanently or at least until the time someone at Chrysler figures out that to stay competitive, the Viper has to be redesigned from the ground up.

For now, it is pretty sad to see that this is as good as it gets with the Viper.  The lack of effort is painfully obvious.  Instead of a separate design for the front and rear bumpers and rocker panels (incorporating some kind of skirts) there are front splitter, canards and this ancient looking rear wing that kills this car as a street worthy vehicle.  Is the car lighter than the rest of the line up?  Doubtful.

Does the car include a serious shot of horsepower compensating for the drag cause by the add on ground effects?  Even more doubtful.

Can these ground effects and color scheme save the Viper?  Not a chance!!! Yes, the car will sell (assuming the incompetent dealers do not get greedy as in the past) but it certainly will not change the fate of the Viper since the last ACR's claim to fame, the Nurburgring record is out of reach for the aging Viper, courtesy of Porsche 918 and McLaren P1. 

The last ACR created news back in 2009 because it was obscenely impractical, purpose build and visually distinct.  Unfortunately, copying and pasting the same recipe on the current Viper is both predictable and disappointing.   Certainly, the Viper team got lazy or tightly bound by the financial limitation.  No matter what the reason may be, the disappointing result is there to seal the fate of this saddest of Viper survival attempts.

Dodge Viper marketing by Chrysler still sucks as much as before, if not worse

Based on the auto show that took place last weekend, it is easy to see why Dodge Viper is doomed, no matter how much the price will be dropped.  The marketing of this car is non existent, apparently Chrysler execs still expect the car and incompetent dealers to do this part themselves.

Among the cars on display at the Dodge booth, there was not a single example of Dodge Viper on display.  The way these shows work, local dealers are expected to contribute their cars and apparently none were willing.  Of course a thought of bringing a display car directly from Dodge must have not crossed anyone's mind, thus, the flagship of Chrysler was fully MIA and Challenger, not even Hellcat was as good as it got.

This is quite a bit of contrast to +General Motors  that had no issue with bringing their new C7 Z06 to the show, along with a number of base Stingrays that came from local dealers.

Of course this does not make Corvette and GM better choices but certainly explains a lot about Corvette vs Viper sales differences, with no praise going to Chrysler.  Truly, shame on Chrysler and its Dodge brand.

Dodge Viper $15k MSRP price cut may be just the final nail in the Viper's coffin

Apparently even after Ralph Gilles was let go from his SRT CEO gig, things are not getting any better, in fact, they are getting even worse.

First of all, there are still 2013 non Dodge Vipers sitting unsold-nothing is being done to push them off the floor.  If there is anything that should be done it is the first batch of the SRT Vipers that should disappear but nah, too obvious for Chrysler execs to figure out.

Then, there is another truly stupid thing: vouchers issued to CURRENT GENERATION 5 owners to supposedly convince them to trade in their current cars, the same ones that just took a 15k beating, only to trade sideways, not up, for another car that is exactly the same as the one they already have.  Is this stupid or what?  

Here is the kicker: IF this idiotic scheme worked, then the market would be flooded with used Generation 5 Vipers that owners who bought at original MSRP would be trying to sell for more than the new ones can be had-NOT GONNA HAPPEN!!!

Here is a smarter idea: issue vouchers to previous generations owners and entice them to buy the new Viper, this way, the new cars will not have to compete with slightly used.  Furthermore, end this generation quickly, it is a true embarrassment and laughing stock, purely due to marketing.  Issue vouchers to current Generation 5 owners for GENERATION 6 cars.  Otherwise, there will be no generation 6 and it will be the end to Viper.

Sergio, are you listening?

Considerably higher quality and better performance than Corvette C7 make Dodge SRT Viper a no brainer for bargain hunters

Seems like Viper buyers have the last laugh over the idiots buying Corvette C7 Stingray and upcoming Z06 after all.  The level of quality, fit and finish, paint quality and outstanding performance sets a standard that no C7 Corvette can ever match.  Plagued with numerous mechanical, electrical and paint problems, exploding windows and cracking body panels, the seventh generation of Corvette is no match for the Viper.

The better price point became an ongoing joke as the car that can be had for less money than the Viper is not even worth half of the money +General Motors is asking for it.

The higher price of the Viper is well justified, especially considering heavy discounts that many dealers offer, in fact, considering its quality and performance and rarity, it is the Viper that is a true bargain. 

Although it is never nice when owners of one car look down upon others, in this case, it is well justified.  All any Corvette aficionados have to do to realize this is to lay off the GM kool aid, then the things simplify greatly and Viper becomes the better choice and the true bargain, without worries regarding engines self destructing, cracking body panels or orange peel that could make Florida citrus growers proud.

Ironically enough, the Viper weighs as much as the base Corvette Stingray and about 300 pounds less than the fully loaded Z06 porker.

http://corvettec7fiasco.blogspot.com/2014/08/ultra-low-density-smc-snafu-at-core-of.html

Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat bumps Viper to the third position on Chrysler hp list

How is the flagship costing well over twice as much justified in Chrysler's Dodge line up when Viper lacks in horsepower not just behind Dodge Challenger but Dodge Charger as well?

By now, it is pretty obvious that things continue to spiral downwards long after Ralph Gilles had been relieved of his CEO duties and SRT became another embarrassing footnote in Chrysler history.

Will the Viper get more power?  This is yet to be seen.  One thing is certain though: if it does, the still unsold 2013 Vipers will be worth more as scrap metal than as cars.  If it does not, then any 2013, 2014 and upcoming 2015 Vipers will become permanent decorations on the showroom floors of the dealers dumb enough to try to sell them.

Whole 5 hp increase for 2015 Dodge Viper-more harm than good

There are many reasons why this truly pathetic horsepower increase will actually hurt the future of Dodge Viper than help it in any way.

1. There are still many 2013 and 2014 formerly SRT, Dodge Vipers still unsold.  Not only will be the buyers looking at purchasing  a car from a discontinued brand but also one with less power.  Certainly a great incentive NOT TO BUY a left over car unless super heavy discounting takes place.

2. The horsepower gain is not a result of engine improvements, simply an accounting maneuver, exploring technicalities.  The lack of considerable horsepower gain sends a message to all potential buyers regarding performance limitations of the car they consider buying.  After all, if Chrysler cannot increase the horsepower in house, who can?

3. New horsepower rating falls short of the advertised Corvette C7 Z06 horsepower rating of 650 hp and even worse, considerably lower than the Dodge Challenger Hellcat.  The buyers have two other choices, both cheaper, especially the Hellcat, to consider.

4. No true performance oriented model is being offered, putting this tiny horsepower increase to meaningful use.

5. Still no convertible available.  Offering a convertible would be a smarter way, without hurting the unsold cars and attracting buyers looking for a convertible.

 

Dodge Challenger Hellcat gives Mopar fans 707 reasons to forget about Viper

In a very ironic twist, it is not a Corvette that is very likely to finish off the Dodge Viper but instead, another Dodge is responsible for this part.  The new Challenger Hellcat packs helluva punch, 707 hp to be exact and puts Dodge Viper in true shame.  Never mind  the car is not particularly a looker, overweight and with horrible weight distribution and aerodynamics.  The sheer power rating makes it a new king of all Mopars and highest rated production car across the board in U.S.A.-all at very reasonable price.

So what is in Viper's future?  Apparently not more power and most likely a quiet funeral in 2016.

Overall, this is a very smart move on part of Fiat.  Unlike Viper, Challenger does not compete with any Fiat owned exotics, never did and never will.  Instead, the car sets a new horsepower record and out of the box impressive strip performance-a great compliment to Fiat owned Ferrari, Alfa and Maserati.

How American is 2014 Dodge Viper?

Apparently not very... To see that the Viper barely makes the list is both quite shocking and disappointing, especially since it is still touted as the ultimate AMERICAN exotic....

American Car Content

Dodge Viper production resumes next week for 2014 model year

Here it is, another dumb move by Chrysler, resuming production of the former SRT and current Dodge Viper, making 2014 cars past the middle of the year.

Apparently stupidity runs rampant among Chrysler and Fiat execs and it does not really matter if Ralph Gilles runs the Viper ship of fools or anyone else.

What possible reason would Chrysler have to resume 2014 car so late in the production year?  There are a few reasons why this can happen but none are benefitting Viper long term future.

1. Continuing production of the current model year will prevent further discounting of the current 2014 cars although this is doubtful considering how many 2013 are still sitting around.  A smart move would be to end 2014 now and end up with fewer cars being discounted  next year but apparently short term benefit is the more important one, no matter what the consequences will be next year.

2. Lack of improvements and upgrades available to create incentive for anyone to buy the Viper.  In other words, there has been absolutely no new development to motivate buyers to spend the money on a car that has not sold for the last two years.   Apparently nobody bothered to improve the horsepower, tenability and offer better performance options for the Viper?  Oh yes, there should be a few more color options and interior combinations that without any doubt will work like a charm to increase the sales, just like they did already.

There is a possibility that  the production of Viper is coming to  a complete end, thus, nobody wants to waste money on a losing proposition.  Financially, this makes most sense, no matter how sentiumentally unfortunate this may be.

The chances for 2015 Dodge Viper - ZERO!!!

The demise of Ralph Gilles came swiftly but only after ball finally got rolling.  Gilles' ego and lack of vision actually made it a miracle that Generation 5 ever came to fruition at all. 

The sales of former SRT and current Dodge Viper are at all time low and there is absolutely nothing that anyone at Chrysler or Fiat  will do to change it. 

The current discount of 7500 per 2013 SRT is a laughable one, considering that dealers offering 20k and more discounts still cannot sell the cars sitting on their lots for the last two years.

As it is, the only saving grace, a 0 percent Chrysler financing for a minimum of 72 months, when combined with the discounts could help ridding of the remaining 2013 and 2014 but amazingly enough, nothing at all is being done to make it happen.

As it is, the chances of reactivating Viper assembly line is non existent, the former CEO has disappeared from the public view in disgrace and the whole concept of Viper as a bad boy American supercar is fully dead.

Overall, this is a very sad situation since at the current pricing, Viper is certainly a considerably better alternative to the mass market plastic fantastic POS Corvette C7 Stingray but way too few people understand this part. 

Based on my personal dealings with Gilles and people from his office, his demise was long overdue, long before Generation 5 was even considered but... it is what it is. 

The best what can happen now is laying the Viper to permanent rest, there is no development money or good will coming from Fiat owners.  By all accounts, Generation 5 should never happen in the first place, at least not the way it was executed and led by Gilles.  Some bad voodoo came this guy's way (pun fully intended).

Will the Dodge Viper survive Dodge Challenger Hellcat?

Even though Chrysler does not reveal the final performance figures, chances of this new Challenger, with supercharged V8 Hemi NOT producing higher horsepower than the embattled former SRT and current Dodge, Viper are very slim.  What makes it even worse is the fact than unlike the Viper, Challenger ECU software can be reprogrammed, to allow for even more modifications and horsepower.

Granted, there is no visual comparison between Viper and Challenger, with the latter sharing aerodynamics, weight and visual gratification with the nearest garden shed but horsepower can appeal to more people than refinement and two seat performance.

As it is right now, unless someone at Chrysler grows some balls and allows for horsepower increase for the Viper (a meaningful increase) to distinguish the Viper from the lowly Challenger in the horsepower bragging rights department, this may be the final nail in Viper's coffin and the current vacation may very likely become the permanent one.

Things are awfully quiet with Ralph Gilles lately.  Apparently he is too busy licking his wounds from SRT demise and repairing his demotion bruised ego but if this guy really cares about Viper as he has claimed, there better be some solid action coming soon and announcement regarding horsepower increase instead of new colors or choices of interior materials.

Otherwise, it will be considerably more humane to lay the Viper to rest instead of stretching its agony, with unsold carcasses scattered through all former SRT dealers.

Anyone even remotely concerned with Viper's future would be demanding a supercharging option made available on Viper, to set it one step ahead of the quintessential redneck mobile, the Challenger.

Will Ralph Gilles finally step up to the plate?  There is absolutely no reason why Viper cannot be supercharged.   The cost of such upgrade would be lower than the non selling interior bling and could save the Viper, especially in light of upcoming Z06.  Supercharging is cheap and it could remediate the problems potential buyers have with locked ECU software. 

Come on Ralph, grow some balls for once or step down and away from Viper!!!

Will the former SRT dealers get their 25k back from Chrysler?

This is a tough question.  On one hand, they should get their money back since the SRT brand is officially shut down and Viper once again, has been declared a Dodge. 

On the other hand, these dealers are directly responsible for the failure of Viper to launch and sell.

Seeing how these dealers still do not see the light and try very little to sell their cars, maybe they should not get their money back.  There is no doubt that neither Ralph Gilles or these dealers have learned anything at all from this Viper humiliation.  The best way to teach anyone is by affecting their wallets.

SRT and Edsel-SRT is no more and Viper is Dodge Viper once again

Apparently it had to take Viper sales to remain at stand still for two years straight before Fiat executives finally figured out it is time to pull the plug on SRT "brand" and its CEO, Ralph Gilles.

This short but quite memorable existence of SRT brand will go down in the history of automotive world as one of the most resounding failures, right alongside of Edsel.

The idea was beyond silly from the get go: lumping together several souped up mainstream Chrysler vehicles, along with Viper and pretend they are distinct enough to turn them into separate car models and then sell them through the same run of the mill Chrysler dealers who happened to make their profits off mini vans and pick up trucks-absolutely ridiculous notion altogether.

They irony of the whole situation is the fact that the only original vehicle in SRT line up, Viper became the biggest victim of the ill thought out scheme.  First, the best SRT could do with Viper was to give it a super rudimentary make over, recycling the same chassis and engine, dressing it up in a Generation 2 look alike skin while failing to deliver a roadster version or ability to custom tune and modify the car by removing the engine management software encryption (or even better, use another software altogether).

Then, the same SRT  managed to turn off the buyers support by royally screwing over the first buyers who special ordered their vehicle and give the mini van dealers priority in obtaining the vehicles (and neither SRT or the dealers bothered to do any market research at all, before  ordering options that nobody wanted) while the actual buyers had to wait for several months, kept in the dark.

The next step of SRT disaster consisted of super sloppy and careless attitude toward the automotive press, including delivery of press cars with parts literally falling off the cars and bald and mismatched tires.  What even made the publicity worse was the attitude coming from Ralph Gilles, busy pointing fingers and blaming others for the screw ups and bad reviews, while lacking the balls to face the music and admitting his own faults.

The final step of this SRT demise came courtesy of the greedy dealers who idiotically assumed that ordering the more expensive version of the Viper, GTS, loading the cars to the max and on top of it, demand MARK UP would make their cars fly off their showroom floors.

Add to it super rude sales staff, no test rides and lack of financial incentives and realistic and attractive financing options and it is actually a surprise that there was a 2014 model year at all.

The fact that not only the 2014 Vipers continue to sit unsold but there are literally hundreds of unsold 2013 Vipers can be easily seen as the final nail in the Viper's coffin. 

By now, it will take a miracle to see a 2015 version of Viper, even as a Dodge.  The reality is that there is no budget to support any meaningful upgrades and on top of it, there are hundreds of unsold Vipers still branded as SRT Viper. 

It is doubtful that Ralph or anyone else on SRT team can figure out that until all of the unsold cars are gone, there is option to continue with the Viper. 

One thing is clear:  Ralph Gilles is completely unfit to lead the Viper program and finding someone competent and with at least an ounce of common sense should be the first step in any further Viper development.

If this does not happen, the Viper is better off dead, just another memory from the past. 

Another reason why Viper does not sell-Chrysler's idea of "special financing"

Special Financing

3.84% APR for 60 months.

LOL, this is what Chrysler offers as an incentive to sell the 2013 left over cars.  Do these people have any clue here?  This is a 100k plus car and majority of credit unions offer interest rates between 2 to 3 percent for loans as long as 84 months.

The level of disconnect the SRT and Chrysler continue to demonstrate is simply astounding.  Who on Earth would be drawn to an offer like this one?  Between the horrible dealer sales crews, luck of the draw discounting and this laughable special financing offer, it is actually a miracle any of the new Vipers sell at all.

Here is a thought for Chrysler and Ralph Gilles: check out what competition does.  Maybe a 72 or 84 month ZERO financing would be a better incentive to push the 2013 left overs off the lots?  Just a wild guess here...

Dodge SRT Viper or SRT Viper - a case of brand name identity crisis?

Trying to figure out what the designation of Viper is can be a pretty difficult task.

When SRT was announced as a brand, Viper was supposed to be designated as SRT Viper, with $25k admission fee paid by interested Chrysler dealers. 

Forward to 2014... What happened to SRT brand?  Well, it apparently does not exist.  When looking for SRT Viper, there is absolutely not a single Chrysler dealership that includes SRT as a brand in their list of Chrysler house brands.   So where is Viper?  For those who try to locate Viper on dealer website, the advice is to look under DODGE brand.  There, Viper is listed as SRT Viper.

Apparently, SRT brand does not exist, it is still DODGE Viper. 

An open letter to Ralph Gilles

Dear Mr. Giles,

I would like to thank you for personally making sure that I have eliminated the Generation 5 SRT Viper from my shopping list and that my 2009 Dodge SRT10 Viper was my first and last Viper purchase.  I would also like to thank you for motivating me to look at makes such as Porsche as my likely purchase, although I have not considered buying a Porsche in the past.

Although I have been critical of the newest Viper in the past, including its very narrow advantage in performance figures as compared to the previous generation, the latest turn of events, mainly a large number of 2013 cars remaining on the dealers lots and discounted pricing I observed at several dealers in California, motivated me to pursue a purchase of a base SRT Viper as a valid alternative for a car I would be driving daily, while retaining my current 2009 Viper. 

After observing very generous discounts offered on SRT Viper by several dealers, including Carl Burger dealership in San Diego, I decided to shop around for an equivalent deal, expecting other California dealers to follow the suit,  especially since there is a large inventory of 2013 SRT Vipers in California (Carl Burger offered hefty discounts on 2014 Vipers).

To my dismay, even though I was able to locate dealers offering similar savings on 2013 base SRT cars, these cars lacked the specific options I sought while including options I did not want (the available discounted cars either lacked the track pack or included SRT stripes).  When I approached the dealers who had the cars with the desired option, track pack specifically and 2013 model year, these dealers happened to refuse to offer any discounting at all and at the same time, happened to earn very negative ratings from their customers.

Due to my frustration, I have contacted you personally, through your Twitter account and to my surprise, I have received a response from you, followed by an email from your marketing manager, Carol Desantis,  with assurance of facilitating my purchase by connecting me with a local dealer, Normandin Chrysler and Dodge, in San Jose.

Unfortunately, that dealer did not have a car with my specific options and interestingly enough, was not even interested in discounting 2013 cars.

Upon notifying Ms. Desantis of the outcome of my contact, I decided to contact several other dealers, located in Southern California who happened to have the exact car I was looking for. 

To say that my contacts were both frustrating and aggravating would be a very kind thing to do.  After trying several times to obtain a reasonable price, while attempting to help Viper by purchasing a second one, I have given up completely.  Between the quality of the sales personnel I have dealt with and sales tactics on part of the dealerships, I have decided to abandon my purchase completely.

At the same time, I have contacted several dealerships specializing in sales of Porsche and Aston Martin vehicles and was literally blown away by the difference in level of customer service, the difference was absolutely astounding.  Needless to say, I have directed my attention to these particular brands as my next purchase, refusing to go through the same frustrating Chrysler dealership experience once again.

Obviously, I am only one lost Viper sale.  However, I suspect that my experience is not unique and several lost customers like myself may further compound the sales problems SRT Viper faces currently.

I would strongly recommend that your team considers using a system of vouchers, rewarding current Viper owners considering another purchase, while retaining their current cars to spare them from the perils of dealing with dealerships apparently not qualified to sell a vehicle such as SRT Viper.  Since the sales of the remaining unsold cars should be a top priority in attempt to save SRT Viper, I would recommend that you take my recommendation in your consideration.

Sincerely,

PeterMJ

Chrysler dealers-the real reason why SRT Vipers sit unsold

As much as horrible press reviews are blamed for the non existent SRT Viper sales (with SRT and its chief, Ralph Gilles being guilty of this disaster, without any doubt), there is a more direct reason why the latest Viper proudly occupies dealers lots, unsold since 2013- CHRYSLER DEALERS themselves.

First of all, Viper is not being sold as SRT Viper, it is being sold as a DODGE, with SRT Viper model designation.  So much for the 25k select dealers paid to become SRT dealers, there are no SRT dealerships and anyone who looks for SRT dealer will have a hard time finding one, unless he or she figure out Dodge/Chrysler dealers are the ones to contact.

The problem with these dealers is that they make living selling mini vans, Chargers and pick up trucks.  What does this mean?  They are truly horrible to deal with, this is a very unfortunate fact.

Here is my personal experience dealing with these numbnuts.  Many of them have not just 2014 Vipers in stock, they have many 2013 Vipers sitting unsold as well.  For some mysterious there is a schism among the dealers, with one group understanding that Vipers do  not sell and quickly become financial liability to them, thus motivating them to discount these cars heavily, between 20 thousand for 2014 and up to 40 thousand for GTS option of 2013 model year.  Then there dealers, stuck with cars from the PREVIOUS MODEL YEAR who refuse to understand what depreciation means and who insist that previous model year is discounted because they decided to remove the mark up from their cars and sell them at MSRP.    Talking to both groups of dealers is very aggravating since there is absolutely no rhyme or reason to the discounts any of these dealers offer. 

In other words, the selling price for exact same car can vary by ten or more thousand dollars.  At the same time, the price of a fully loaded GTS version with MSRP of 140k that was about 30k higher than the same year base SRT version, ends up being only 10k due to absolute lack of consistency between dealers and their discounting practices.

In my situation, when shopping for a base SRT and getting a best price of 90k while fully loaded GTS sells at another dealer for 99k, completely removes a motivation to purchase that base car period.  Why?  Because the future depreciation will be based on the selling price of the higher priced version of Viper and the base car, while discounted less now, will depreciate considerably more in a very near future.

Thus, the base car does not sell.  There are exceptions, with dealers realizing this part and discounting the base car more but the rule is that the other dealers refuse to acknowledge the reality.

What is the result of this discounting mess?  The dealers who discount reasonably, sell their cars while others get to pay their floor fees for the cars that continue to sit.

As much as SRT and bad publicity can be faulted, the real problem lies with the dealers and apparently Ralph Gilles or anyone else in Chrysler have absolutely no intention to make this better. 

At this rate, the current Viper sabbatical may very well become a permanent vacation.  There is no doubt that absolutely nothing has been learned from the similar situation back in 2010.

Production of Dodge SRT Viper halted permanently

In spite of previous announcements regarding a temporary shut down of Dodge SRT Viper production until the end of June 2014, the latest announcement states that production of the new Viper has been stopped permanently.

Nobody from the office of Ralph Gilles was available to provide an explanation to the abrupt end of the fine American sports car icon.

Chrysler announces 30% rebate on remaining 2013 and 2014 SRT Viper

Effective today, all remaining SRT Viper 2013 and 2014 cars include a 30% rebate.  For remaining 2013 cars, the rebate can be combined with 0% financing.

According to Ralph Gilles, any issues related to interactions with SRT dealers can be routed directly to his office for personal intervention.

Attention Ralph Gilles!!! Time for that Nurburgring run for SRT Viper

If   indeed the new Track Attack SRT Viper is so good, the time to run it at the Nurburgring was yesterday.  If this does not happen soon, there will be another slash in Viper production and more jobs lost.

Get off your behind Ralph and start attending to business.  Time to raise the money and make this run.  General Motors is refusing to disclose the C7 ring time, this would be a perfect opportunity to get ahead of Corvette.  Wake up Ralph!!!

The TA has the potential to at least equal the last ACR at the ring, time to put it to good use.  Unless things are not as they seem with TA?

Will the price increases of Corvette C7 Stingray generate more SRT Viper sales?

Two completely opposite approaches to selling cars:  General Motors announcing price hikes for Corvette C7 and Chrysler and its dealers slashing prices on remaining 2013 and recently arriving 2014 Vipers.  Which one is a better approach? 

General Motors raises prices hoping to ride the wave of accolades greeting the new Corvette and anticipation toward the upcoming Z06 for no other reason besides the fact it is a free market and General Motors can do it just because...  There is absolutely no changes to the cars affected by higher pricing and still the same shitty paint quality, mechanical and fit and finish problems.  There is also an indication that this is only the first phase of the price increase, with the next one coming for the model year 2015. 

So where does this leave the Viper, the victim of totally flawed initial marketing and careless attitude toward journalists testing and reviewing it.  Since many dealers initially decided to order the most expensive GTS variant and unilaterally decided to load their cars up to the max with options driving the car into 150k region, BEFORE so called "market adjustment", these cars, no matter how much the discounts will be, will remain a tough sales, especially considering that they will have to compete against SRT's own Track Attack version of the base SRT car.  Even with discounts, these cars are still in the 120k range, putting them price wise out of the contest with even the most expensive version of the upcoming Z06.

However, IF the dealers have learned something, they will start ordering the most basic version of the Viper, the SRT and resist the urge to load it up with options nobody wants to pay for.  This way, there will be a direct choice for the buyers, not just shopping for the Z06 but even for a fully loaded version of the new car which the first price hike will easily hit 80k figure, only several thousands less than the discounted SRT Viper.

Given the choice between discounted SRT Viper and comparably priced Corvette, chances are very good the sales of Viper could increase exponentially.   Now, if only Gilles and Chrysler can figure out this part and dealers can resist the temptation of hoping to make an extra buck or two...

There is no doubt that SRT Viper is a better car than any C7 Corvette, if there is no improvement in sales of Viper now, the car is fully doomed.

Marketing stupidity of SRT VIper TA-Gilles's incompetence shines once again

Ralph Gilles has been a symbol of corporate incompetence and car brand mismanagement for a very long time now, specifically, ever since he took over the Dodge Viper and was put in charge the ghost SRT "brand".

As it is right now, between lack of significant performance improvement, rehashed design and super retarded pricing and marketing and continuous journalistic SNAFU's, Gen 4.5 (it is not really a new car) Viper is on the brink of extinction.

Enter Ralph Gilles and his super stupid counter measure:  SRT Viper TA. 

Right off the bat, the name, it actually stands for Time Attack but in reality, how many people will not associate TA with Trans Am?  For many many years, this is what TA stood for among car enthusiasts.  So how many, especially not Viper aficionados will realize that TA is not for TRANS AM?  Great marketing move right here, Ralphie boy.

Let us go down the failed and stupid list more.

There is already a TRACK PACK option available on base SRT 10 and GTS versions of the new Viper.  Apparently a third option was needed?  The real stupid thing here is that the base SRT with track pack is actually lighter than the TA, just because the supposedly "track oriented" car had to have the dual mode suspension from the "luxury" oriented GTS.  Why not make this an actual track car and offer simple adjustable coil overs with multi mode MANUAL damping control, something that could actually be used on a track? 

Now, there are the brakes.  Any particular reason why light TWO PIECE rotors could not be used?

This car is already stripped off, fewer amenities than the base SRT, why not put the car to some good use and make it really track worthy?

Finally, the aero bits.  These pieces can be had on any version of the Viper, including the GTS.  Any particular reason why there are no TA specific pieces here?  The generic aerodynamic aids are laughable at best, why not offer something that could actually function on the track?

Will TA change the wave of Viper failure?  Not a chance as a matter of fact.  Yes, there will be a few buyers but what will happen to GTS that costs over 20k more?  Better yet, why anyone with an ounce of brains not go for the base SRT Viper and add the track pack to save the weight TA adds?  Asking rhetorically of course.