Chrysler prices new Viper near $100,000, below Corvette ZR1

DETROIT -- The 2013 SRT Viper will be Chrysler Group's most expensive production vehicle ever but still cheaper than a comparable Chevy Corvette ZR1 when sales begin late this year.

Chrysler told dealers today that the 640-hp Viper will carry a sticker price of at least $99,390, including a $1,995 delivery charge. The Viper GTS will start at $122,390, including delivery.

With optional equipment -- a more powerful audio system, upgraded infotainment system, or additional carbon fiber trim and styling components, for example -- and a likely gas-guzzler surcharge, the re-engineered Viper should easily top the $100,000 plateau.

Ralph Gilles, head of the SRT brand and Chrysler Group's head of design, was scheduled to show off the new Viper to dealers during a private meeting today in Las Vegas.

The 2013 Viper, introduced in April at the New York auto show, has an 8.4-liter V-10 engine that generates 600 pounds-feet of torque. The new Viper weighs 100 pounds less than the automaker's last version of the sports coupe, which ended production in 2010 and carried a sticker price of $90,255, before freight charges and gas-guzzler tax.

The 2013 Viper's pricing makes it less expensive than the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, which has nearly the same horsepower and torque as the Viper. The ZR1 carries a sticker price of $113,575 with delivery and includes a $1,000 gas-guzzler tax.

The Viper's price doesn't yet reflect a gas-guzzler tax because its fuel-economy numbers aren't yet available.

Chrysler plans to build only about 2,000 Vipers a year, and dealers will have to pay a one-time fee of $25,000 and undergo Viper-specific training for the right to sell the powerful two-seaters. Gilles estimates that only 15 to 20 percent of Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge-Ram dealers will sell them nationwide.

The delivery charge for all Vipers is more than double that of Chrysler's other vehicles. However, all Vipers will travel from the company's Conner Avenue assembly plant in Detroit directly to the ordering dealer through a covered, point-to-point trucking carrier, and not by rail, Chrysler said.

Viper production is scheduled to begin in November, Gilles said.

Chrysler's current most-expensive vehicle is a Ram 3500 heavy-duty pickup. A fully loaded version lists for $67,915, including freight.