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Viper Owners Called Most Passionate

22 April 1999

Viper Owners Called Most Passionate

    LAS VEGAS, April 21 -- Owners of the legendary Dodge Viper
are more passionate about their cars than any other group of vehicle owners.
So says a survey by the research company Strategic Vision.
    The Viper -- America's most powerful sports car -- topped the list of all
cars, trucks and minivans sold in the United States.
    Eighty-five percent of Dodge Viper owners report having an emotional
attachment to their cars.  The next closest vehicle registered 77 percent.
    Strategic Vision found that people have strong emotional ties to their
cars and trucks, much like they do with their spouses and significant others.
    The survey found that most buyers (75 percent) acknowledge having some
sort of emotional attachment with their new vehicles.  Almost one in three
(30 percent) say they have a definite attachment, while only one in four
(25 percent) say they have no attachment.
    "Judging from the passionate claims of our customers, I'd say we have a
lot of happy Viper marriages," said Jim Julow, Vice President - Dodge Car &
Truck Division.  "Passion has been at the heart of the Dodge Viper's success
ever since it was first shown to the public as a concept car at the 1989
Detroit Auto Show.  It's passion that makes Viper the purest execution of
sports car design and an American automotive icon.  It's the same passion that
Dodge tries to put into every car, truck and minivan that it sells."
    Strategic Vision's 1998 Vehicle Experience Study polled more than 78,000
buyers to determine their feelings about their new cars and trucks.
    "Like any thing of beauty -- be it music, art or automobiles -- the
Viper's design has captured its owners' hearts," said Daniel Gorrell, Vice
President of Strategic Vision.  "That's not to say that owners don't develop
relationships with other types of vehicles.  But rather than providing safety
and comfort for others -- as with a minivan -- the Viper delivers strong doses
of personal freedom, control and esteem."
    According to the survey, emotional attachment does not appear to be a "guy
thing."  Among all buyers, women as a group (32 percent) are somewhat more
passionate about their vehicles than men (27 percent).  The survey also found
that half of the buyers under 20 years of age say they have a definite
attachment to their vehicles.  The incidence drops to less than one third
(30 percent) for those in the 30-39 age group and maintains roughly the same
level for older buyers.
    Strategic Vision is a San Diego-based consumer motivation research and
consulting company.