The Dodge Viper Will Stay Dead

Last week everyone got their hopes up on rumors that the Dodge Viper would make a glorious return. Now, it seems all the celebrating was premature, because Sergio Marchionne is here to rain on your parade. The Fiat Chrysler CEO used the big FCA news conference last week to shoot down the rumor.

According to Marchionne, the Dodge Viper didn’t make one cent. That’s not entirely surprising, because plenty of halo vehicles don’t alone make money. Instead, they boost brand image and get people excited for cars they can afford.

Marchionne also made a reference to a “cute” Euro-style engine not working in a new Viper anyway. That doesn’t make sense, because Dodge has several hard-hitting, thoroughly American V-8 engines at its disposal. Some think he’s referring to the upcoming engines for the Dodge lineup, so perhaps they’ll all about “cute” Euro-style powerplants? If so, that’ll alienate Dodge’s customer base in a hurry.

Interestingly, Marchionne did tell reporters that if FCA could find a way to bring back the Viper, it wouldn’t be completely out of the question. He’s flying the coop, so the new CEO will get to decide if bringing the Viper back is a good idea or not. But, for now, Dodge’s wicked snake is dead.