Competitive Strategy...

[santo]

I'm reading all of these reviews where the competition (Z06 Corvette and Ford GT) are mopping up in this review category and that category and I'm thinking, "What is DC doing?". After a little bit of thinking, I think it's actually brilliant marketing strategy.

When you are the forerunner in a category (even considered the only one in your class at times) for a very long time, these types of reviews don't help anyone but hard-core Viper owners. It just continues to foster the pride in owning your vehicle (which is not a bad thing). The issue is, it doesn't help those other potential purchasers that are unsure or may be loyal to other brands. Sometimes it good to be an underdog that comes out on top after getting beat down and I think this is what DC is doing.

It is not newsworthy if you car continually stays on top but it is when your car becomes "top dog". Chevy is seeing that now (and did so barely in performance but big time with value) but it won't be long before Dodge takes the lead back. A little bit of negative press isn't that bad and the defeat in reviews isn't by that big of a margin. However, it is very news worthy taking the lead back, not merely maintaining it. This is particularly interesting if the leap frog is big. The heritage is that the Viper is a raw monster and I'm sure DC will keep it that way. How else would they justify creating a Mercedes, in a different class, with similar power but is refined?

As rumour has it, it appears that the leap frog will be big performance-wise and this is perfect. Once it happens, let's see those reviews again. How many of you have even entertained the thought of a Vette after reading the current ones? I predict that the Gen IV Viper will make the Corvette too slow and the Ford GT too expensive and slow and those reviews will be stellar.

Just my $0.02. Am I totally off?
Santo

 

[96GTS]

The Viper will probably never win another bang-for-the-buck contest. The sticker on a 1996 GTS was $69,400 and now it's around $86,000. The new Z06 is still cheaper than a Viper 10 years ago. Dodge isn't going to spend millions in R&D to up the horsepower and reduce weight, and then turn around and lower the price.

 

[DSR207]

Question ? If the Viper sticker price were the same as the ZO6, How many ZO6's would sell ?

 

[George Farris]

Zero

 

[96GTS]

Why pay the same price (not to mention $15K more) for a car that ***** hind tiddy? I think they lost a LOT of the appeal when they went away from the Gen 2 body. The new coupe isn't too bad, but it just doesn't get my pulse going like previous models. They need to get away from the "Martha Stewart" and go back to "Schwarzenegger!"

 

[sween]

Why pay the same price (not to mention $15K more) for a car that ***** hind tiddy? I think they lost a LOT of the appeal when they went away from the Gen 2 body. The new coupe isn't too bad, but it just doesn't get my pulse going like previous models. They need to get away from the "Martha Stewart" and go back to "Schwarzenegger!"

the coupe design is great. looks 100x better in person! the problem i think is that some people want the viper to be the fastest which its not anymore.but if i had to choose it would definitly be the viper

 

[santo]

I don't think the Viper will ever win the "bang for the buck" award. It's not meant to. It's meant for prestige in DC productline and the fact that it is not getting rave reviews is a problem for some but maybe not necessarily for DC. The Viper has never been a challenger (unless you count the first year) but it's always been a contender. The point I'm trying to make is that it's good when the champion wins again but it's more dramatic and heads turn when the challenger wins and becomes the new champion. It could be interesting if DC comes out with a smoking challenger that decimates the current champion.

Santo

 

[jdavis]

Question ? If the Viper sticker price were the same as the ZO6, How many ZO6's would sell ?

I think they would sell a ton of them. The loyal Corvette people will buy one reqardless, and there are plenty of them out there. Besides that, the Corvette is generally a more refined car than the Viper. The majority of purchasers are going to select creature comforts and performance (Corvette) over the style, relative rarity, and near equal performance (Viper). I am certain that the members of this forum would select the Viper hands down but, the reality is that there are many others that would not.

 

[NOTV8]

Question ? If the Viper sticker price were the same as the ZO6, How many ZO6's would sell ?

Probably 10 to 1....not.
Viper and 'Vette are just two different kind of "animal". I am sure that there are chevy guys that will stick with the ZO6 no matter what and some that once they get into a Viper... can change their mind.
Because once you try a viper....you will want one.