2013 SRT Viper Won't be a Dodge, Will be Built in Detroit

"This will create "about 150 jobs, both hourly and salaried, giving the city of Detroit a much needed boost." The population of Detroit is 951,000 meaning that this will employ just under 1% of the unemployed (19.2%) in the city. Though it certainly will be a mental boost; Re-opened plants are very good news."

Right, I'm sure Chrysler will hire 100% Detroit residents to start up a performance car brand.

Eh, I think this isn't that great of an Idea. So there will be a Dodge Challenger and a SRT Challenger? Same w/ Charger and 300? So the top trims become a model under a new brand or do they stay the same and SRT only has a Viper? I can see how having a Viper and Caliber on the same drop down menu on their site is a bit off putting, but honestly, chevy does it and Corvette is iconic, so who gives a damn? the SRT VIPER sounds stupid, Dodge Viper has become an infamous name and changing it isn't that good of an idea. i wasn't crazy about the whole RAM as its own brand thing either, kinda lame...

In recent memory:
Ford dropped Mazda, Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover, Aston Martin, and Mercury.
GM dropped Geo, Oldsmobile, Hummer, Saturn, Pontiac, and Saab.
Chrysler dropped Eagle and Plymouth, but then created Ram, bonded with Fiat, and now SRT? Why are they bucking the trend?

@mazdamike17: This is no different than the AMG lineup of vehicles for Mercedes Benz.

150 jobs "in the general area" is still fairly significant. They could have simply shipped the production of this vehicle out of the country.

Well if there ends up being an SRT Dart, like there have been with the Neon/Caliber, then the Viper's still gonna show up with some pretty cheap company.

Still, as long as there's actually a Viper I'm happy. Sure I won't own one cause I can't afford it, but it's just nice to know it's out there.

@revn, you're right I mentioned price, but really a grouping of SRT vehicles will be more fitting than a world beating sports car and a world hated econobox.

So, the Viper lives, yes!!

It is a good thing to get the Dodge off of the Viper! Viper is about extreme performance, in the realm of exotics, it simply does not belong in a Dodge brand. Same goes with all the SRT models in the current Dodge lineup, they all need to be transfer over to the new SRT division :-)

So, the Viper lives, yes!!

It is a good thing to get the Dodge off of the Viper! Viper is about extreme performance, in the realm of exotics, it simply does not belong in a Dodge brand. Same goes with all the SRT models in the current Dodge lineup, they all need to be transfer over to the new SRT division :-)

So, the Viper lives, yes!!

It is a good thing to get the Dodge off of the Viper! Viper is about extreme performance, in the realm of exotics, it simply does not belong in a Dodge brand. Same goes with all the SRT models in the current Dodge lineup, they all need to be transfer over to the new SRT division :-)

" A rose by any other name......" or locoweed. Whatever. Bought a 2012 Ram 2500 last week. First Dodge....er Ram pickup I've owned. On the center stack over the radio "Dodge" is still spelled out in inch-high letters.

SRT-10 Viper
SRT-8 Challenger
SRT-8 Charger
SRT-8 300
SRT-4 Dart????

I don't see it as a huge change. I see it as an in-house performance brand just like AMG.

Because it makes perfect sense to delink an iconic car with it's equally iconic nameplate. This is as stupid as just calling the trucks Ram.

After we shoot all the lawyers can we go get the marketing people?

@lostboyz

Fair enough. I don't really care either way, since it really makes no difference in the end. If someone doesn't want to buy a Viper cause of something silly like this, I think the car they missed is better off without them anyway.

@threemopars
Don't forget the SRT-8 Grand Cherokee! And if Chrysler comes out with something else like the SRT-6 Crossfire. That's actually a pretty large lineup.

greenpony says:

In recent memory:
Ford dropped Mazda, Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover, Aston Martin, and Mercury.
GM dropped Geo, Oldsmobile, Hummer, Saturn, Pontiac, and Saab.
Chrysler dropped Eagle and Plymouth, but then created Ram, bonded with Fiat, and now SRT? Why are they bucking the trend?

1. Land Rover and Jaguar were sold, not "dropped"

2. SRT as a sub brand actually makes sense since it will strictly be a performance division.

Pontiac and Dodge were supposed to be performace divisions, but when they sell trucks and generic sedans along with economy cars and Firebirds and Vipers it gets a little confusing.

So we have Chrysler(luxury) Dodge(mainstream, just on the sporty side of things) Ram, Jeep and now an in house(figuratively not literally) performance brand.

And Land Rover now has the Range Rover brand :P

ed341:

1. And Aston Martin, Volvo, and a stake in Mazda were "sold" too. I don't understand your point. When you "drop" a course in school, the course doesn't cease to exist. You just stop taking part in it. That's exactly what happened when FMC dropped these makes. It just so happens that only one of them was allowed to fold.

2. SRT as its own make is about as sensible as spinning off any other car company's performance division. Can you imagine an SS brand or a V brand alongside Chevy, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac? An SVT brand alongside Ford and Lincoln? An M brand alongside BMW and Mini? An F brand alongside Toyota, Scion, and Lexus? That's right, "Welcome to your local Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge/Ram/SRT/Fiat/Abarth/Alfa dealer." What a waste of resources. For vehicles that are otherwise the same except for some suspension and powertrain bits, a trim level is all they need to be.

'lostboyz says:
09:22 AM, 12/13/11
At first, it was a shock. Honestly, though if you looked at dodge's site a couple years ago, it was odd to see an $85k base price sports car in the same drop down menu as a sub $20k caliber'

I can't find any new car on the dodge lineup that's going to put off any customer from buying the very expensive sports car of the lot I mean come on, the Dart is probably going to be the best in its class and with the underpinnings of an Alfa Romeo, I can't say its some cheap easily forgotten econobox either.

Same goes with Chrysler. Even their Minivan is enticing. It's what Hyundai/Kia is trying to pull off and sadly, it seems like Dodge/Chrysler is going to do it slightly better thanks to Fiat. Them Italians know how to attract.

OK, who is the math genus here? Your numbers are all wrong!

First of all, the 951,000 is closer to the 2000 census for the city limits only. Most demographics prefer to use the Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area or Metro area for short.

Here are is the Detroit population according to Wikipedia:

Census City Metro Region
2000 951,270 4,441,551 5,357,538
2010 713,777 4,296,250 5,218,852

But I will use your 951,000 figure anyway. 19.2% of 951,000 is 182,592, and 1% of that is 1825.92 not 150. Go do the math.

This just proves that the IL writers here are not meticulous with their research. If this is any indication, and they can't do the math, all of their automobile tests are completely meaningless.

As far as the viper is concerned, the ZR1 will blow it's doors off. I have done the math. Bring it on baby, bring it on!

Chevy Runs Deep.

as much as in pains me to say it, zr1 man is right. the city of detroit had a population of around 717,000 as of 2009. http://www.census.gov/popest/index.html

"And Land Rover now has the Range Rover brand :P"

@ed341,
Land Rover has had the more upmarket "Range Rover" brand for 41 years.

THis is a hedge against another bankruptcy. They're creating smaller niche brands that they can sell off in the event that Chrysler as a corporation ceases to exist.

@stephen987,

You hit the nail on the coffin and that's why I want ever by a Chrysler no matter how much I love the Cherokee, Challenger, Charger, and Viper.

Like others have said, dropping the Dodge name is equivalent to Corvette dropping the Chevy name. The Dodge brand is more iconic than the Viper IMO. They should fight to keep re-branding the name by building great cars instead of the just throwing in the towel and dropping the name altogether. Moves like this is why Chrysler can never get ahead. I hope SRT the best because I'm flat out rooting for Giles and his vision. I just hope Chrysler believes in him long enough so the brand can come to fruition.

@greenpony: the English language can be very complex and context matters. Drop, in the context of a participant, is not the same as drop in the context of a producer.

A student drops a class and the class continues because you were the participant and your participation wasn't required for the course to continue, the college drops a course and it ceases to be.

So if a multi-brand dealer 'drops' a franchise, the franchise doesn't disappear, if the manufacturer 'drops' a line it does.

Ford did not 'drop' the brands you listed.

SRT = AMG = BIG WIN FOR CHRYSLER.

Just looks better marketing wise.
I'm just hoping to save up enough bread aka moollah aka cash to buy a used Viper in the $20-25k range.

There is a Viper around Sacramento I see once in a while with a vanity plate that reads: "ZO6 LOL"