Chrysler Group has reduced production of the SRT Viper by a third due to slow sales, growing inventories and the onset of colder weather. The U.S. automaker said part of the workers building the Viper will be reassigned to other plants.
According to a report from Autonews, employees at Chrysler’s Conner Avenue Assembly plant in Detroit were told yesterday about the output reduction. No workers will be laid off, however, with Chrysler reassigning them to other plants in the Detroit area. The number of employees who will be reassigned is not yet known.
Before the decision, Chrysler had been building nine Vipers per day on average, while from now on, it will make six per day. SRT brand boss Ralph Gilles originally said Viper production would be limited to 2,000 units a year, but is now aware that the aforementioned number proved overly optimistic.
“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,” Gilles said. Chrysler built 805 Vipers during the 2013 model year, and recently begun making 2014 models.
Gilles added that Chrysler received 2,000 dealer and customer orders for Vipers this year, including those for 2014 models. Since its commercial launch in February 2013, SRT only sold 426 Vipers in the U.S., with dealers having another 564 unsold cars in stock. U.S. aside, the sports car is sold in a few countries in the Middle East.
The 2014 SRT Viper is priced from $104,480 (€76,810) in the United States, including destination.
By Dan Mihalascu
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