The FCA CEO made an announcement at the 2016 Detroit Auto Show about the successor of the Dodge Viper. The car may be retiring by 2017, but it does not mean that its legacy will be gone for good.
At the 2016 North American International Auto Show held in Detroit, Michigan, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne at his yearly press conference answered questions regarding the new Pacifica minivan from Chrysler, diesel concerns to the United States and the entry of Silicon Valley to the automotive industry. Also, he openly spoke about his own retirement and about the legendary Dodge Viper saying goodbye to the automotive business.
As fast as ever in the latest ACR incarnate of the Dodge Viper, the sales of this legendary vehicle have been poor, and its future looks bleak as new supercars and hypercars are on the rise. Marchionne states that every economic study that FCA has carried out in keeping the Viper alive in its current state does not add up. In this regard, the FCA has decided to retire the car as much as they loved it. The guillotine's fall on the legendary car is not very clear, but the signs point to the end of January 2018 when the FCA Group releases a detailed road map to its plans on being debt free.
Marchionne adds that if the Viper is gone, it does not mean that its legacy is gone for good as well and that the car could be coming back better that it ever was. Given the architectural innovations that FCA has going on inside the group that extend beyond Viper, there are possibilities that a new version of it will or may eventually surface.
A car to surface within a reasonable period of time like the Dodge Viper is still unclear, but there is access to the legendary car's designs that will deliver a car of its equivalent with significantly enhanced handling and performance than what the Viper currently has. Marchionne did not elaborate much on the designs that he was referring to, but speculations would include engines and platforms from Ferrari's spin-off and the Maserati.
