Chrysler Group has
announced that production will continue of the Dodge Viper
SRT10. Originally slated to cease production in December
2009, the Chrysler Group Conner Avenue Assembly Plant — the
exclusive home of Dodge Viper production since 1995 — will
continue to build the V-10 powered sports car. Chrysler
Group has also revealed that it is no longer pursuing a sale of the Viper business
assets.
“The Dodge Viper
has successfully captured the hearts and imagination of
performance enthusiasts around the globe,” said Mike
Accavitti, President and Chief Executive Officer, Dodge
Brand. “We’re extremely proud that the ultimate
American-built sports car with its world-class performance
will live on as the iconic image leader for the Dodge
brand."
Introduced as a
concept car in 1989 at the North American International Auto
Show in Detroit, the Dodge Viper was designed and engineered
to test public reaction to the concept of a back-to-basics,
high-performance, limited production sports car. The
reaction was so overwhelming that customer orders began to
flow in even before the auto show was over. Chrysler
Corporation immediately decided to determine the production
feasibility on transforming the crowd-pleasing Dodge Viper
show car into a limited-production sports car in no more
than three years.
In May 1990, after
months of intensive study and testing, Chrysler Corporation
announced that the Dodge Viper, powered by an aluminium V-10
was a “go.” Dodge Viper production began in May 1992 at the
New Mack Assembly Plant and was moved to Conner Avenue in
October 1995. Viper V-10 engine production transferred from
Mound Road Engine to Conner Avenue Assembly in May 2001. In
2008, Dodge introduced the all-new, fourth generation Dodge
Viper SRT10. With more horsepower, more torque and more than
30 exterior and interior colour combinations, the latest
Viper gives enthusiasts the performance they expect on the
track and off, with more factory customization options than
before.
For 2009, the Dodge
Viper SRT10 offers outrageous power, with an 8.4-litre,
600-horsepower (450 kW) V-10 engine contributing to
blistering acceleration (0-60 mph in less than four seconds,
0-100-0 mph in the low 12-second range), setting an American
sports car benchmark. To date, more than 25,000 Dodge Vipers
have been built.