Dodge knocks off $15K to spur sales of pricey new Viper

NoneJump-starting ViperDodge brand head Tim Kuniskis is taking dramatic steps to get Viper sales moving.• Reduce sticker prices by $15,000• Offer $15,000 coupons to 1,025 buyers of 2013-14 Vipers to trade in their Viper on another one or to buy an additional Viper• Limit 2015 model year production initially to base and new GT trim levels• Allow all Dodge dealers to sell the Viper DETROIT -- Since the Viper's splashy reintroduction at the 2012 New York auto show, the two-seat sports coupe has moved fast everywhere except where it matters most: off dealer lots. In fact, Viper sales have been so low for so long that some Chrysler Group dealers mockingly refer to the car as the "Vedsel," a reference to Ford's ill-fated Edsel. But today Dodge said it has a plan to boost Viper sales. The brand will cut $15,000 from the sticker price of the more than 600 unsold Vipers on dealer lots. It also will offer $15,000 coupons to recent Viper buyers to trade in their 2013 or 2014 Viper on another one or to buy an additional Viper, and it will open Viper sales to all Dodge dealers. In addition, Dodge will market Viper with the rest of the brand's lineup, treating the 640-hp, V-10-powered car as a halo vehicle. Dodge will start taking orders for 2015 Vipers this month, although it will temporarily suspend production of the top-end GTS and TA trims. Instead, the brand will introduce a GT trim level just above the base that will have the most popular equipment sought by Viper customers, Dodge brand head Tim Kuniskis told Automotive News."I think the current car is so much better than any other Viper we've ever built, but we've got to fix the one last piece: We've got to fix the retail equation. We've got to fix what's going on in the dealership, in the showroom," Kuniskis said. "It's the dealer network, it's the inventory, it's the pricing, it's how we sell the car. We have to fix all of that." Moribund sales

Dodge knocks off $15K to spur sales of pricey new Viper

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