Chrysler seems to be gaining some interest in the Viper brand. Last month Chrysler reported that it was looking to sell off the Viper supercar as its own brand. Although Chrysler Vice Chairman and President Jim Press would not give specific names, he did say today, "We have been approached by outside individuals who want to work with us to buy the asset and sustain Viper going forward."

If this is true, it would seem that Chrysler is having a much easier time of getting rid of niche car lines than General Motors. Hummer has been on the sales block for most of this year. The difference must lie in the price of the company and the undying appeal of a sports car,


Source:Reuters

 

that's pretty interesting. it would be nice to see a third party develop and maintain the viper rather than watch chrysler kill it off.

 

While sales of the Dodge Viper may be down, Chrysler President Jim Press insists that buyers have been lining up to buy the entire operation. Among those potentially interested are American powerhouses Roush and Saleen. The latter, it's worth noting, is already involved in making the Viper, painting the cars off the assembly line. Whatever company ends up buying the Viper operation, Chrysler expects to make anywhere from $50 million to three times that before it vacates its Conner Avenue plant by the end of 2011, and has hired financial firm Lazard Limited to handle the sale.

Potentially of equal interest will be the opportunity, as Press sees it, to expand the Viper line-up. We're not sure what else you could make on the V10 sportscar platform, considering that convertible, coupe and hard-core track-day versions are already in line-up. But we'd sure be interested to find out.

Source: autoblog