If you thought that the production of the Dodge Viper is ending due to low sales, you are wrong.
If you thought that the production of the Dodge Viper is ending due to low sales, you are wrong. The iconic Viper is actually being killed off due to a lack of side curtain airbags and the company’s inability to provide one.
The production of the Viper is ending due to the inability to provide curtain airbags
New safety regulations state that from 2017, all new cars should have side curtain airbags as standard. But the Viper cannot get it due to its limited headroom. The current Viper’s production is expected to end in 2017 before the new safety regulations come into play.
However, FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne said that an all-new Viper maybe considered to be launched at a later stage. It will be based on the new RWD architecture developed by Alfa Romeo. It is unclear if it will come in time to replace the current car.
New safety regulations make side curtain airbags mandatory
The two-door sports car was initially launched in 1992, with a Lamborghini-derived V10, and after two generations, it was discontinued in 2010. The Viper returned to the market in 2013 and was briefly called as the SRT Viper. While the initial car was available only as a roadster, the current third generation is available only as a coupe.
The Dodge Viper SRT is powered by an 8.4 litre V10 engine producing 645 bhp and 814 Nm of torque. This is the largest production engine (in terms of capacity) in the automotive world. It is mated to a 6-speed manual transmission and power is sent to the rear wheels. The car accelerates from a standstill to a 100 kmph in 3.5 seconds and it goes on to a top speed of 332 kmph.
Weighing just 3,390 pounds, the Viper TA is the lightest car in the Viper portfolio
The Viper ACR holds the fastest lap records around 13 different racetracks in the US beating expensive hypercars like the McLaren P1 and the Porsche 918 Spyder.
Source – Motor Authority
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