Dodge Viper to be Discontinued?

:(

The Viper has been umcompetitive for some time, but it would be a shame to see it go. I am concerned this might have an implication for Bristol, who use Viper V10 engines in the Fighter, although am I to believe there are still Dodge trucks using that engine?

Good move by Chrysler/Dodge.There sights are on the new challenger to bring in the money (which i don't know if that is right with the interior that they put in it). But by fading the viper away, they are doing what Chevy did with the Camaro. When they are stable enough they can return it with a new fresh look and hopefully get people wanting there cars again

Too bad thae camero might not come out now. Check out the camero article on wcf.

i completely agree foose1397. i think they should take it away for a bit, then bring it back when they have the money to, and maybe actually make it a competitive car.

No car that is losing money AND not serving to bring in customers should be axed. Sadly, the Viper was primitive and uncompetitive giving the impression that it is the best engineering that Americans are capable of.

Viper should be redesigned, not axed... Chrysler could update the motor with some more modern technology, such as a smaller displacement, Dual Overhead Camshaft, turbocharged and/or direct injection motor with variable valve timing and high compression, and maintain a lightweight body, or even lighten it, and possibly lower the price...

Muscle cars dont like turbos, they say "there is no replacement for displacement" or some crap like that. In order to make this thing look better to the US and forign markets (where no one buys it because the stuff there is so much better)there has to be refinement in the interior like carbon fiber, and STOP USING THAT CHEAP LOOKING GREY PLASTIC!!!!! Also use some type of technology that uses gas more efficiently and give you more HP. Every auto manufacturer can get much more HP than 500hp from anything bigger than a 6L engine without using a turbo or supercharger, so why cant Dodge. And stop saying stuff like if we do this then it will take the heart away from the muscle car, because we all know thats just an excuse for not using your brains to get the most out of your car. Sure the car might cost more than $80k but when your in the $80k zone people are not really looking for a bargin, they are looking for a car that is more desirable, nice looking, and has a flashy interior. The car should let the person who buys the car know he made a good choice with his purchase, and not worry about dying if they hit the gas because the cars is so nutty. I heard of supercars crashing at speeds 100+ and people walking away with out a scratch (in the viper you will be lucky to get out at 40mph). Great speed must come with great handling and tougher yet lighter body. We live in one of the richiest countries in the world. Why cant are cars perform better than everyone else?

Without the viper, there is no credibility behind the SRT brand.

chrysler is going downhill badly for 2008...what's next?

drop the dodge ram? XD haha I would buy a plane ticket, just so I could laugh in the face of whoever's marketing idea it was to do that.

It is a good idea, viper sales are horrible and costs are high because of the low sales. They should axe this car. Right now this car is not financially feasible for Chrysler.

Dodge are dodgy

This kind of thinking is foolish. Sales ebb and flow through economic swings, yet did Chevrolet discontinue the Corvette during these times? The Viper is a brand much like the Corvette, and while the Viper has lost some its luster from the Le Mans racing war days with Corvette, it could easily regain the halo should the resources be reprioritized. Dodge will make their money from Challengers and 300C cars, and the trend to make smaller SUVs. The problem is the HEMI is no longer viable as a sales tool, so they must retool and concentrate on fuel efficient engine technology.

If they try they can get more horsepower from smaller engines than they have now. This will help them save gas. If Nissan can get 300 hp from a 3.5L v6 (getting over 20 mpg) then why is chrystler getting 200hp from a 3.8L v6 getting 15mpg (pacifica). Sebring has a 3.5 with 235 but still only gets 15mpg. They keep cutting cars because they do not spend enough on R and D. Why come out with a car if it is not competitive in the current market. This is why they are in trouble. They waste money when it doesent sell and is not at all desireable.

People buying an 80 thousand dollar car are not to concerned about what kind of gas mileage the car gets particularly the kind of people who would by a Viper. I know if I'm paying that much for a car it had better have at least 8 cylinders. The Vipers V10 is as much of a prestige thing than it is a performance thing. And the Viper makes 600 hp and 560 ft-lbs with a 8.4L V10 and the 350z makes 306 hp and 268 ft-lbs. So the difference between the displacement vs. power isn't that extreme.

We were not talking about that we were talking about why chrystler was loosing money. and when you are buying a 80k car you want prestige, but viper offers this cheap grey palstic interior. It cant even acomplish prestige!!!

Prestige doesn't mean the same to everyone. Your getting 600 hp for around 80 grand. Thats a lot of power even if it cost that much so. The viper has always been about performance not elegance. If it had a great interior it would cost a lot more than it does.

But when you spend 80k you want something nice. This is why the viper is doing bad. If everything was the same and they made the interior nicer more people would buy it evern if it cost 20k more. Anyone can get 600 hp from a 8.4L(its too big). If I had 80k to spend I would get a skyline no doubt. It will be faster, more reliable, and handle 10x better.

Why would it have to cost more?? Look at the Audi TT, mercedes SLK, Porsche Boxster, BMW Z4, VW Eos, ALL are under 80,000$ and have much better interiors. Stop making excuses that it has crazy performance so that makes driving around surrounded by plastic and tree sap ok. The viper is nothing special, it has a big V10 that doesnt even perform that well, brakes are from brembo and any ricer with a civic can buy them online for 6000$ and put them on, exterior is made from fiber glass and tree sap, sound system is cheap infinity. Horsepower is not everything it doesnt sell a car, thats why the biggest dealer in TO sells in a good year 2 of these. You dont get value for money, you get a big engine strapped to a toy car from hotwheels.

We are talkin about tryin to save the viper though. Obviously the viper formula is not working. not a lot of people like it as much as other supercars. obviously, people dont like the cheap interior, and over sized engine that can perform much better. there are faster and nuttier cars out there that are more expensive, but they are selling better. few care that this is the cheapest 600hp car out here. looks nice and everything, but they r not selling. you say that people dont car about interior if the car performs, but the car isn't selling. So I think people do seem to care.

I think it's time to change the whole current gen.

The reality is that an $80K Dodge and a $60K Chevrolet sell for reasons that overcome the brand image of their plebian marque. In other words, "Viper" and "Corvette" are their own brands, driven by performance, driving experience, exotic styling/materials, and racing heritage. These qualities are worth their high prices. If Dodge tried to sell a $30K compact luxury car to compete with Acura TL, Infiniti ES, Lexus IS, Audi A4, BMW 3-Series, Mercedes C-Class, it would probably fail on the basis of its badge name alone.

I have a question for many of you who have made negative comments about the Viper. Yes it lacks in many aspects but I wonder how many of you have driven much less owned a Viper or even a Vette. I have both among many others. It is a purpose built car.... a modern day muscle car as I see it and I hope they keep it that way, basic and fast.

Nobody seems to get it. The Viper is what is known as a "flagship" car. And it's a great one. It is not built to make incremental profit. It is used to say to the general car-buyin public, "If we can build this machine, we can sure build a great car or truck for you."

The problem is that you've got to advertise your flagship model and make the point that there's a little bit of Viper in every Dodge/Chrysler product. This unfortunately is something the manufacturer has failed to do.

The Viper is the King Of American Sportscars. No question. Performance, styling. The whole enchilada. It has proven by car magazines to be better than Corvette, Mustang, Camaro, etc. Hands down. And comprable to Ferraris, Porches, BMWs, etc. It should be treated as such by Dodge/Chrysler.

So let's advertise The Snake and make the connection to other products. It should have been, and deserves to be, on the Super Bowl.

To sell the brand or radically change the vehicle would be a HUGE mistake. This car is Deadly Cool!

This is exactly why Dodge/Chrysler is going bankrupt and Toyota/Honda are making a profit. If your flagship model is a useless gas sucker nobody wants the rest of your products. If your flagship model is an efficient vehicle that last for ever like the Prius/Civic your company will take over the auto market.

See, what nobody understands is that the Viper is one of the greatest innovations in the car world. By building the snake, Dodge has proven that Americans don't need fancy engine upgrades like super/turbo chargers. By being the only American car dealership that offers a sports car that packs a 8.4L V-10 engine with 600 horses without the use of a supercharger shows ingenuity. There hasn't been another car company that can produce over 400 horses without the use of a super charger except for maybe Ford when they had the GT still in production. By discontinuing the Viper it will show a weakness in the production management by displaying modified engines out of factory instead of stock engines like the Viper's V-10. Yeah, I do believe that Dodge should remodel the Viper to support better gas mileage and lessen the weight which, all in all, will lower the base price. And like chuxingolden said advertise the vehicle more and more civilians will be drawn to it.