The Dodge Viper Will Slither Away
It was written in the stars. FCA hasn’t officially announced it yet, but production of the Dodge Viper is to be halted, according to a recent agreement between the UAW in the United States and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. The tentative agreement should be ratified next week and the last Viper could roll off the assembly line in 2017.
The Dodge Viper started life back in 1992. At the time, it was the Dodge division’s statement that the passion for powerful cars wasn’t dead. In 2008, Chrysler filed for bankruptcy, and the marginal Viper was immediately sacrificed, a sad but understandable decision.
However, Ralph Gilles, a Montrealer of Haitian origin and a diehard motorsports fan, became one of the most influential leaders within the Chrysler Group. In 2013, Gilles succeeded in getting the new SRT Viper back into production.
A high price as well as stronger and more refined competition were obstacles to the venomous snake’s success. In 2014, for example, only 760 Vipers were sold in the United States, with 107 more finding homes in Canada.
The Viper is hand-built by about 80 passionate employees in a small assembly plant located on Connor Avenue in Detroit. Unfortunately, passion isn’t in FCA’s vocabulary right now; it’s time for the automaker to be rational, and the Viper isn’t.
More on the Dodge Viper:
- 2016 Dodge Viper specifications
- Dodge Viper vs. Porsche 911 vs. Chevrolet Corvette
- Find a used Dodge Viper