There is just one sticking point: “racing your Chrysler Viper at the track”, just doesn’t quite have the same ring to it.

A Chrysler Viper? Hmm, perhaps its not a really a problem. We’ve seen this before with other strong brand names who have switched parent companies. The Thinkpad is now a successful Lenovo product after IBM sold it’s laptop division. There are countless other examples. So it begs the question, what are consumers really tied to, the parent company name or the specific product name? It seems that several companies feel confident it’s the latter and move forward with the sale or name change of a product line. In the end do consumers really care? If the quality of the product remains the same, or perhaps even improves, then existing customers should be pleased that their $80,000 toy will continue to receive proper warranty service and enjoy a sustained aftermarket ecosystem. But beyond logisitcs, Chyrsler is a well established brand and it’s current perception will have a dramatic impact. If GM were to hand the Corvette line over to say, Saturn tomorrow, by Wednesday I’d be looking to save face and defect to an import that’s assembled with a higher quality than a brittle plastic cup. So what do you think when someone says “Chrysler”? Purveyor of the first pony car? Maybe you’re impressed at how they created the entire mini van market? For current owners, the answer to that question is important.

New customers thinking of buying a Viper who have a less immediate attachment to the Chrysler name should have no more than a slight hesitation once they are aware of the transition. If they are shown that the quality and integrity of the Viper has only strentghened thanks to the parent company shuffle, then they should confidently move forward with their purchase. The success of that critical message of course, falls on the shoulders of the marketers.