Dodge Viper production will end in 2017, according to various reports, after the United Auto Workers union and Fiat Chrysler agreed to new four-year labor contract that eliminates new-vehicle production at the Detroit, MI plant where Vipers are made.
The specific facility is Fiat Chrysler’s Conner Avenue plant where Vipers are hand-built by a team of about 80 workers.
The new SRT Viper was introduced in 2014, and while it’s still a beloved American sports car by performance enthusiasts, sales have lagged. There were 760 Vipers sold in 2014. Just 503 have sold this year.
Analysts point to the 650-horsepower Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (available with an automatic transmission and less expensive than the Viper) as well as the Hellcat versions of the Challenger and Charger as the primary obstacles to Viper sales.
The Viper has been built at the Conner Avenue plant since its 1992 debut.
For more information, check out reports from Motor Authority here, and Road and Track here.
Comments