SRT Viper Sales Slump Prompts Production Slowdown

Sluggish sales of the SRT Viper and growing inventories have caused the American automaker to cut production by a third.

No workers will be laid off as a result of the revised production schedule, with those workers being reassigned to other Chrysler plants in the Detroit area. SRT has been averaging nine Vipers per day, but will cut down production to six units a day. The Viper’s production got off to a late start earlier this year as the automaker worked through achieving internal quality standards sets for the high-performance sports car.

Sales for the remainder of the year aren’t expected to pick up as the U.S. heads into winter. Ralph Gilles, head of SRT, noted that the Viper tends to sell well in the early spring. Originally, SRT hoped to produce around 2,000 Vipers per year, but admits that the initial figure was very optimistic. During the 2013 model year, 805 Vipers rolled off the assembly line before switching over to the 2014 model year.

Interest in the sports car however remains strong according to Gilles, as Chrysler received 2,000 dealer and customer orders during 2013, including those for 2014 models. However, according to sales statistics, 426 Vipers have been sold in the U.S. since February and another 565 remain unsold in inventory.