Chrysler has cut the output of the SRT Viper by a third due to slow sales and growing inventory.
Chrysler has cut the output of the SRT Viper by a third due to slow sales and growing inventory. But the good news is that instead of laying off the workers at its Conner Avenue Assembly plant in Detroit, Chrysler will instead reassign the workers to other plants in the Detroit area.
Chrysler has been building up to nine Vipers a day, but under the new plan that number will drop to six. “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,” stated Ralph Gilles, head of the SRT brand.
Sales of the Viper are expected to decline, since the Viper usually sells very little in the winter months, since it isn’t equipped with tires that are made for cold-weather driving. Most of the remaining inventory now exists at dealerships in warmer climates.
How will Chrysler improve the Viper’s sales? Many dealers are reluctant to allow test drives of the Viper since it packs so much power and can cost up to $160,000. Chrysler is planning on visiting dealers in the southwest in November to give consumers the chance to drive factory owned Vipers. “We really have to focus on putting butts in seats,” Gilles said. “A lot of people are unnecessarily intimidated by the car.”
Source: Chrysler via Automotive News
