Although officially unconfirmed, it will be a sad, sad day for fans of the legendary beast of a car that is the Dodge Viper – Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) could be looking to pull the plug on production of the Viper as early as 2017, according to details highlighted in a new contract with the United Auto Workers (UAW) union.
Automotive News has reported that FCA’s US$5.3 billion product plan states that no replacement vehicle for the iconic Viper has been lined-up following the model’s final year of production in 2017. Furthermore, the contract also highlights the potential closing of FCA’s Conner Avenue assembly plant in Detroit – said facility is where the Dodge Viper has been built since 1995.
While the Dodge Viper itself has been a motoring icon since its birth, sales figures for the car have painted a more grim picture, especially over the last few years. The car itself was terminated in 2010 when Dodge revealed a send-off variant of the Viper but was resuscitated in 2013.
Since then, sales of the Dodge Viper have been relatively disappointing. All in all, only a total of 760 units were sold in 2014. Up to September this year, Dodge has only been able to move a total of 503 units. Earlier this year, the 2015 Dodge Viper was revealed with additional handling-enhancement upgrades as well as several key features to boost comfort levels.
Under the bonnet, the Viper is powered by a naturally-aspirated 8.4 litre V10 engine with 645 hp and 867 Nm of torque. All that grunt gets channelled to the rear wheels via a Tremec six-speed manual transmission. Elsewhere, all Vipers are equipped as standard with Brembo brakes, HID xenon lights with LED daytime running lights and an 8.4-inch touchscreen infotainment platform with a Harman Kardon sound system.
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Another American Icon bites the dust. This is indeed sad
Syukurlah kita di Malaysia ada Proton. Lagi power daripada junk Viper ini. Syukur !