Chrysler announced late last month that its Viper brand was up for ‘strategic review’ – aka ‘for sale’ – and it doesn’t look as though the Michigan automaker will waste any time getting the Snake to market. A new report finds that Chrysler will soon begin taking bids for its Viper line, with the possibility of a sale in as little as a few weeks.
Similar to General Motors’ decision to sell its Hummer SUV brand, Chrysler’s sale of the Viper brand is intended to bring in some extra cash while allowing the struggling automaker to focus on its core business.
Although Chrysler just announced that it was considering the sale of the Viper brand less than a month ago, Chrysler’s high-performance vehicle line could find itself with a new owner before 2008 is over. “We’ve had a lot of excitement,” Chrysler Vice Chairman Tom Lasorda told Just-Auto. “We will start negotiations in probably another three or four weeks.”
Chrysler is in desperate need of a cash influx after losing $400 million during the first eight months of 2008. The automaker also recently announced its plans to have an electric vehicle to market by 2010, which will require a huge investment.
However, fans of high-performance Dodge s might not be left out in the cold after Chrysler parts ways with the Viper. Dodge’s future vehicle plans will likely include the recently unveiled Dodge EV, which has a strong focus on performance with the added benefits of zero emissions motoring.
