5 new Dodge Vipers sold in 2019
It's been more than two years since the last Dodge Viper rolled off the Connor Avenue assembly line, but there is still no shortage of new car buyers.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles reported its 2019 sales figures on Friday, and mixed in with the sales matrix was an interesting tidbit: five new Dodge Vipers were sold in 2019.
The slow sales probably signaled the end of the Viper, which is why a few unsold, unregistered Vipers remained at dealerships. It is unclear whether these Vipers had dealer markups or were held back as showpieces. It is also not known how many units remained at dealers.
In 2018, the first year of production, Dodge sold 19 Vipers after selling 585 in 2017 and 630 in 2016.
A search on eBay Motors shows two 2018 Vipers listed as new, one with 95 miles and the other with 316 miles; Cars.com has one new Viper for sale with zero miles reported.
The last 2017 Dodge Viper rolled off the assembly line was painted red; FCA originally planned to keep it as a heritage collection, but changed course and will be auctioned for charity along with the last 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon The two vehicles raised $1 million. The two cars raised $1 million.
The Viper's death was also due to safety regulations; according to FCA executive Ralph Gires, new regulations regarding emission-mitigating airbags that do not fit in the car's package meant that Dodge had to change the car or let it die. Dodge decided against it.
The Viper was not the only dead supercar that still found a new buyer in 2019; three new Lexus LFAs were sold in 2019, seven years after the Japanese supercar ended production.
