Although the current-generation Dodge Viper is anything but slow, Chrysler has been struggling to sell its halo car ever since it launched it in late 2012. Viper sales have been so low throughout 2013 and 2014 that Dodge even had to halt production for two months and lay off 91 employees. The Viper’s struggle continues through 2014, with some 600 unsold units on dealer lots, which is why Dodge has decided to knock $15,000 off the sticker price in order to spur sales.
The discount is available for all unsold 2014 model year Vipers and incoming 2015 Vipers, putting their MSRP at $84,995. But the good news doesn’t stop here. In addition to this discount, Dodge is also offering $15,000 coupons to recent gen-five — 2013 to 2014 model year — Viper buyers who want to trade their model in on a 2014 or 2015 Viper. All told, if you own either a 2013 or 2014 Viper, you can essentially purchase a brand-new, updated model for $69,995 after the price cut and trade-in incentive. Quite the bargain, huh?
Cutting $15,000 off the sticker is just one step toward improving Viper sales. The company is also planning to open Viper sales to all Dodge dealers and market the sports car with the rest of the lineup and not as a stand-alone SRT vehicle. More than 2,300 Dodge dealers will be able to sell the 2015 Viper.
Click past the jump to read more about Dodge Viper.
Why it matters
A hefty, $15,000 discount is always good news for potential buyers, even when we’re talking about a sticker that’s close to the $100,000 range. But what matters most in this equation is that Dodge is finally trying to shake up the Viper’s lagging sales by doing more than just shutting down the assembly line for a couple of months.
The markdown may seem like the bigger deal, but the fact that Dodge is now expanding sales beyond the current SRT network of dealers is equally important. Hopefully, this new strategy will help improve Viper sales so that Chrysler won’t be forced to discontinue its halo car once again.
Dodge Viper
Introduced for the 2013 model year, the fifth-generation Viper receives its first important upgrades for the 2015 model year. The big news is that the sports car gained its historic Dodge badge back, but Chrysler also launched a new model and new packages for 2015. First up is the Viper GT, a trim that slots between the base model and the GTS. The new model stands out by means of standard Nappa leather seats with Alcantara inserts, Viper-badged aluminum sill plates, a two-mode suspension, five-mode ESC, and a GTS hood.
Next up is the TA 2.0 Special Edition, essentially an updated version of last year’s track-prepped, Time Attack car. A Viper GTS Ceramic Blue Special Edition brings an exclusive exterior to just 40 units, while the rest of the lineup gains three high-impact colors: Yorange, Stryker Orange and Stryker Purple. Other novelties include new accent stitching on the seats and instrument panel, and Alcantara inserts for the door panels.
Press Release
Dodge is reconfirming its commitment to the future of the Viper and repositioning the iconic Detroit-built supercar for 2015, giving the snake more horsepower, improved fuel economy and a new starting price $15,000 less than the 2014 model it replaces.
For 2015, the hand-built American exotic now delivers an increased 645 horsepower, gets up to 20 miles per gallon and is offered at a new starting U.S. Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $84,995 (all prices exclude tax, title, license, destination and gas guzzler tax).
Reaching back into its 100-year history, Dodge is using the formula that successfully launched the original 1992 Dodge Viper, but with even more power, refinement and craftsmanship. Adjusting for inflation, the 2015 model year Viper is priced competitively to the first generation Viper, as calculated by Kelley Blue Book. When Viper was first introduced, the U.S. MSRP was $50,700. Adjusted for inflation — that equates to $86,130 in today’s dollars.
“The Gen 1 Viper had 400 horsepower. It didn’t have air conditioning, anti-lock brakes, traction control or stability control. It didn’t even have real windows. It was the purest, rawest and most visceral American performance car of its time,” said Tim Kuniskis, President and CEO — Dodge and SRT Brands. “The Gen 5 Viper maintains the purity of the original car, with its seductive design, perfect weight balance and all-aluminum V10 with an additional 245 horsepower. But the rawness has been tamed with state-of-the-art five-mode ESC, two-mode suspension, ABS, traction control, launch control and a lightweight structure comprised of carbon fiber, magnesium and aluminum. Despite the Gen 5’s massive leap forward in technology and performance, we’re pulling its starting price back to the equivalent of the original Gen 1 car.”
Dodge is repositioning every Viper model with a lower starting price.
In addition to the new starting price, all existing Gen 5 Viper owners will get a certificate worth $15,000 that can be redeemed toward the purchase of a new Dodge Viper. This $15,000 certificate is in addition to the $15,000 price reduction.
Effective immediately, all existing 2014 model year Vipers in dealer inventory will also be re-invoiced and receive a new Monroney label that highlights the $15,000 price reduction.
Dodge is also expanding Viper sales beyond the current SRT network of dealers. More than 2,300 Dodge dealers will be able to sell the 2015 Dodge Viper.
“We have a saying at Dodge: ‘If you know... you know,’ and if you know Viper, you know this is big news,” Kuniskis added, “and if you don’t know Viper, it’s time to check it out and see what makes owning and driving the iconic Viper so much more unique, exclusive and interesting than any other American performance vehicle.”
