Long discussion interview with Ralph on SRT Viper

[Nadine UK GTS]

1/2 hour discussion interview with Ralph Gilles on the vision of SRT and Viper...

http://www.autoline.tv/show/1629

 

[I Bin Therbefor]

Couple of tid bits.

Production capacity can go over 2000 Vipers per year if necessary.
You may be able to order sufficient variability in the options that your car will be 1 of 2000.
They started working the electronic stability system very early in the game because they knew that the integration is very difficult.
Eventually about 10 to 15% of the dealers will be qualified SRT dealers.

I have to agree that the GTS-R is the best looking car on the ALMS grid!!!

Which lets me make a IMO comment. From the outside, it appears that the Viper evolution effort had a super investment plan that maximized the ROI!!!

It also appears to me that the key people on the team really know high performance and can walk the talk.

As to qualified dealers, YES PLEASE. There's room for the bulls and room for the bears but no room for the PIGS. The Viper customer is not normal and darn proud of it. A little respect for these folks please.

 

[Bill Pemberton Woodhouse]

Bin therbefor,

Have to agree strongly with your comment that Viper owner's are not normal and darn proud of it. I think it is a very eclectic group and especially proud of the machine they drive, but superior quality sales and service is definitely something that should be part of the equation. And though it may be a surprise to some, the efforts to improve service Nationwide has been pushed for years by certain Dealers , even though it could adversely affect them in the future. Quality , superb service should be a right for the Viper customer, not a question mark.

 

[BlknBlu]

great interview thanks

Bruce

 

[BigDawg]

Let's hope production is capped at a lot less than 2000 units per year. That is a ****load and will dilute the brand. Other than that nice.

 

[I Bin Therbefor]

Let's hope production is capped at a lot less than 2000 units per year. That is a ****load and will dilute the brand. Other than that nice.

I understand your concern but I'm not sure that 2000 or so would cause dilution. Ferrari is pushing their production toward 4,000 a year without fear of dilution. They do curently sell to a larger market and have more models than Viper. However, Viper is just starting with models. A convertable for sure, a street GTS-R hopefully. It will be interesting toi see if FIAT considers the Viper a competitor for Ferrari in the European market or if FIAT pushes Viper in that marlket. I have a feeling that FIAT would like to keep the pressure on the Ferrari division and wouldn't mind a little inner company competition. The middle East and China response to the Viper will also be interesting.

On the other hand I don't want to see Gen V Vipers on the dealer lot. It's OK if the dealer wants one in the showroom to draw traffic, but not on the lot. I suppose the ideal number would be "one less than the market wants."

 

[ACRucrazy]

For comparison, all of the Gen 4 vipers were what? Around 3,000 total for a 3 year run?

 

[Smog Dog]

For comparison, all of the Gen 4 vipers were what? Around 3,000 total for a 3 year run?

And there were more than enough Vipers to satisfy demand. Granted, this is a different car and will appeal to a different group of buyers, but I hope SRT doesn't get carried away and flood the market. I would rather see too few, that hold their price a little than too many, which just kills resale. I have heard that a lot of 2014 production is planned for sale outside the USA.

Bill

 

[mnc2886]

Couple of tid bits.

Production capacity can go over 2000 Vipers per year if necessary.
You may be able to order sufficient variability in the options that your car will be 1 of 2000.
They started working the electronic stability system very early in the game because they knew that the integration is very difficult.
Eventually about 10 to 15% of the dealers will be qualified SRT dealers.

I have to agree that the GTS-R is the best looking car on the ALMS grid!!!

Which lets me make a IMO comment. From the outside, it appears that the Viper evolution effort had a super investment plan that maximized the ROI!!!

It also appears to me that the key people on the team really know high performance and can walk the talk.

As to qualified dealers, YES PLEASE. There's room for the bulls and room for the bears but no room for the PIGS. The Viper customer is not normal and darn proud of it. A little respect for these folks please.

Both of what I just put in bold will lower re-sale value. The more customization the vehicle has, the less it will hold its value. It is the same reasoning why modded cars don't get anywhere close to what is put into them. This is why I bring up pricing a lot. It will be interesting to see how many people are willing to buy one new versus used.

 

[BlknBlu]

found this one too. will start a new thread on it. It is a bit long but WELL worth it.

http://www.autoline.tv/daily/?p=21620

Bruce

 

[BigDawg]

I understand your concern but I'm not sure that 2000 or so would cause dilution. Ferrari is pushing their production toward 4,000 a year without fear of dilution. They do curently sell to a larger market and have more models than Viper. However, Viper is just starting with models. A convertable for sure, a street GTS-R hopefully. It will be interesting toi see if FIAT considers the Viper a competitor for Ferrari in the European market or if FIAT pushes Viper in that marlket. I have a feeling that FIAT would like to keep the pressure on the Ferrari division and wouldn't mind a little inner company competition. The middle East and China response to the Viper will also be interesting.

On the other hand I don't want to see Gen V Vipers on the dealer lot. It's OK if the dealer wants one in the showroom to draw traffic, but not on the lot. I suppose the ideal number would be "one less than the market wants."

I hear ya. Ferrari though has a huge presence around the world. If you look at the USA production numbers I doubt they are that high. Even so, if SRT makes a convertible with a different rear, an ACR, and GTS-R street, then I could see up to 2000 units a year. But that's it. If the Viper becomes popular overseas then maybe. The problem is, Middle East and Asian as a whole are extreme brand ******. I have a lot of experience in Asia, and can tell you they care about the brand and the price more than anything else. More expensive, more exclusive, more desirable. Not a lot of Asians willing to take the risk with a no-name (to them) car. They don't give a crap about its racing heritage. My 10 cents.

 

[Paolo Castellano]

One of the most significant things Ralph said was that the Viper has had the unfortunate myth of being a straight line "American Muscle Car".......

It is funny that he said this because, now that I think of it, every single person I street raced that I spoke to after racing through the curves or that I took for a ride in my GTS could not believe how well it handled and the amount of grip it had on entrance and exit ramps....... Even guys with TT Porsche 996's with the X-50 package. Hell, One street racing outing while I was out minding my own business lead to those two Porsche 996 owners selling their P cars and getting Gen 2 GTS's. Another friend of theirs also bought a Gen 2 GTS because of the outcome of that little street race!


When SRT brought out the race car at the same time as the street car to first have them look similar so people could feel they are buying something close to the race car in terms of looks and packaging and the race car's on track performance bolsters the street car's capabilities in the minds of the possible crossover customers.

Showing the people( who either did not know or forgot the Vipers won the race outright at the 24 hours of Daytona as well as GTS class wins for multiple years at LeMans) who have the straight line myth in their minds regarding the Viper that the Viper handles well enough to compete with all the Audis, Ferraris and Porsches and to ultimately beat them will translate strongly into sales. I did not get this when they unveiled both cars in New York! Genius!

BTW, Nadine, how have you been?

 

[I Bin Therbefor]

Ralph makes reference to an eight (8) speed trans coming. Was that with the Dart or was the subject the Viper?

 

[MoparMan]

I believe that's in reference to the SRT-8s.