Viper Sales Slow, Inventory Grows, Production Cut. Gilles: Potential Buyers "Intimidated" By Car's Reputation
Citing increased inventory due to slower than expected sales, Chrysler will cut production of the SRT Viper from 9 cars a day to just six and reassign some of the workers at the Conner Avenue assembly facility that assembles Chrysler’s V10 powered sports car.
Ralph Gilles, who runs the SRT brand in addition to being in charge of styling for the Chrysler group, said that quality control issues slowed the new Viper’s deliveries to the 443 Chrysler dealers that are certified by SRT to sell the Viper.
The reintroduced and redesigned 2013 Viper was revealed at the New York Auto Show in April of 2012 but deliveries didn’t start until a year later. “We got off to a late start. We had hoped to begin shipping vehicles late last year, but we shipped the first 67 units in April,” Gilles told Automotive News.
Priced at $104,480 for the 2014 model year, including destination charges and a day of professional driving instruction at a race track, production of the reintroduced Viper was initially slated to be limited to only 2,000 cars a year. Sales, though, have not even reached that figure, with only 426 units for the first eight months, leaving dealers with 565 Vipers in stock, which is equivalent to a 289 day supply at current sales rates.
“We’re really looking at the reality of this type of car in this economy, as well as us controlling the market and making sure that we don’t overbuild,” Gilles said, saying that interest in the Viper is strong and that the company booked 2,000 dealer and customer orders for the 2013 calendar year, which includes the new 2014 models that are now being built at the Conner plant.
Gilles also attributed slow sales to seasonal factors, saying, “We typically do very well with the Viper in early spring.” The Viper is somewhat notorious for its ability to break traction and while the new Viper now complies with U.S. federal standards that require electronic stability control, its high performance tires are not meant to be used in snow, so the car is not expected to sell well over the winter months.
To increase demand, Gilles said that SRT would organize a road show, visiting Viper dealers in the Southeast as part of a program to encourage potential buyers to take test drives. Part of the problem is the car’s reputation as a potentially dangerous car to drive. Some dealers have been reluctant to let consumers with unknown skills to test drive the Viper. “We really have to focus on putting butts in seats,” Gilles said. “A lot of people are unnecessarily intimidated by the car.” The test drive road show will be expanded to other markets early next year.
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As a potential buyer here is what i see. At the NY motor show the viper looked really really great, but then so did the vette. For me any high powered car has to be good on track, because other than the track you are pretty much just posing. The vette is interesting in a techno sort of way, but at least it still has a stick, in any event there is no z06 track version yet.One has the feeling thata s the regular c7 is supposed to be so good, the Hi po version is going to just sllay all who coem before it. Seruosly if you lookat the hi po c6s their crudenees and faults held them back, elimibate those as c7 apprently does and turn up the wick and the hi po c7 may just be the seminal car of the decade, period, but uits a few years off. The viper though has a charm no vette has, it is the modern day cobra a live viceral machine. The new GT3 has gone all GTr on us, its faster for sure, but there is more to it than ultimate laptime. So yeah the viper is in the running because it has attributes the others lack, but. Yes where do you get to drive one, I thinkits eitehr a car one loves or hates. Without adrive its pretty hard going to sell them. I would travel to try one out, I am not going to the southeast. There are several racing schools in the NE, all chrysler has to do is send a few invites to likely customers. I was at LRP a few weeks ago, amg wa demonstarting sls's that is how you do it. 2000 cars is not ahuge number, its what 5% of vette sales. And yeah i wouldnt go to a Chrysler dealer to rty one, I dont even think they sell them near me. Send me an invite to try one say within a 4 hr drive radius or short plane flight and I am there. Also the spec choices a re too polarised, let us choose the hood we want and degree of luxury or not, same witht he shocks. Chryslers choices are too polarising. Ironicaly I am going to spend more on a GT40 replica, so yeah i would possibly buy a viper instead, but I would have to rty one first, and I acnt even imagine how to go about that..
i don't think the buyers are intimidated, its the dealers and their fears. When porsche hands me the keys for a weekend tryout, they know I will buy it or one like it. Been to the local viper dealer three times in the last two weeks and they obfuscate. I drive in with more expensive cars and have bought four cars from them in the last year for family and business but when it comes to the Viper they wouldn't even open the door. I will not buy a car if I can't test drive it for a mile.