By Drew Johnson
Monday, Jul 23rd, 2012 @ 4:34 pm
 
As few as 15 percent of Chrysler's dealer body will qualify to sell the all-new 2013 SRT Viper, the Auburn Hills-based automaker has revealed. The new Viper, which was unveiled earlier this year at the New York auto show, is slated to hit the market later this year.

Chrysler is moving the 2013 Viper up-scale for its latest iteration, which is something the automaker wants reflected by the showrooms selling the V10-powered super car. As a result, dealers will need to invest in training, tools and facilities to even qualify to sell the new Viper, which could eliminate 85 percent of Chrysler's dealer body from contention.

"We're going to open it up to any dealer who can put the money forward and the training, but it's going to be pretty difficult to hit all of those things," SRT CEO Ralph Gilles told Automotive News. "You've got to have the training, the facilities, and some history of selling Vipers and SRTs in general."

He added that only "15 or 20 percent of our dealers will carry the car."

Thanks to freshened sheet metal and a heavily updated interior, Chrysler is hoping to draw a new clientele that might have passed over the previous generation Viper for a Ferrari or Aston Martin. Chrysler's SRT brand hasn't announced pricing for the 2013 Viper, but the two-door will likely arrive on (select) dealer lots with a price tag above the six-figure mark.
  

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