Dodge has just announced a round of updates for its 2015 Viper SRT but the updates alone aren’t likely to see the sales performance of the all-American supercar change for the better. Yes, the latest Viper hasn’t exactly been racing off dealer lots, with more than 600 examples said to be unsold—a massive 434-day supply—but Dodge has a solution.
Dodge will offer the 2015 Viper SRT from just $84,995 (not including destination and gas guzzler tax), a massive $15,000 discount from the previous model year. Adjusting for inflation, that makes the 2015 Viper priced competitively to the first generation car launched in 1992, as calculated by Kelley Blue Book. The original Viper was introduced in 1992 with a starting price of $50,700, and adjusted for inflation that equates to about $86,130 today.
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All unsold cars from previous model years will also feature the same discount, effective immediately. Dodge says it will be repositioning every Viper model with a lower starting price but is yet to reveal details for these.
Right now you’re probably thinking that’s some hefty depreciation for existing owners, but Dodge has a surprise for these loyal fans. Anyone that already bought the latest Viper, which was all new for 2013, will be given a $15,000 certificate towards a new Viper—whether they trade in their existing car or purchase a new Viper outright. This $15,000 certificate is in addition to the $15,000 price reduction!
That’s not all, as all Dodge dealers will finally be allowed to sell the Viper; this ties in with the Viper being returned to its Dodge roots instead of being marketed as a product of SRT.
"It's not that I'm lowering the price $15,000; it's a psychological thing to put you back into the realm of being an accessible car at a price point that I think is right for the car," Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis explains. It is "the same price it was seven years ago, when we were selling two and a half times as many."
Sales of the 2015 Dodge Viper SRT commence this month. The big news for 2015, apart from the huge discount, is that Dodge is introducing a new Viper GT trim that will be priced close to the base Viper but offer the most popular items from the pricey Viper GTS. An enhanced Viper Time Attack model is also being offered for 2015 and all Vipers receive 5 extra horsepower for the latest model year.
Last month, Dodge sold just 38 Vipers nationwide, a figure that’s down 38 percent from a year ago. We wonder how much success Dodge will have once the cheaper and more powerful 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 rolls in...
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