Dodge Hornet


The Dodge Hornet is a compact crossover SUV marketed by Dodge exclusively in North America starting with the 2023 model year. The five-door, five-passenger, all-wheel drive vehicle was the brand's smallest model. The Hornet's positioning and the impact of tariffs resulted in its discontinuation after the 2025 model year. The Hornet was produced in Italy and is a platform-mate and rebadged variant of the Alfa Romeo Tonale.
WWW dodge.com/hornet.html

The Hornet name

The Dodge Hornet model name is a legacy trademark. It originated with the Hudson Hornet, a full-size car that gained fame due to its dominance in NASCAR stock car racing in the early 1950s, earning a legendary status that was later popularized in the film Cars. After the merger of Hudson and Nash to form American Motors Corporation, the name was used for their compact car line that served as a platform for several other successful AMC vehicles. Chrysler Corporation acquired AMC in 1987, and gained ownership of the Hornet trademark. The name was used in 2006 for the Dodge Hornet concept car, a small, five-door mini-MPV to gauge interest in a B-segment vehicle for the European market. In 2020, FCA submitted an application to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to reserve the names "Dodge Hornet" and "Hornet". Dodge chose the historic name as a nod to its long-running family lineage for the compact crossover SUV.

Overview

The Hornet was released in August 2022. It is Dodge's first all-new model in over a decade, following the discontinuation of the mid-size Journey crossover. The vehicle’s exterior design was led by Jeff Gale, the son of former Chrysler design executive Tom Gale.
The Hornet is manufactured at the Stellantis factory in Pomigliano d'Arco, Italy, alongside the Tonale. It is structurally based on the Stellantis Small Wide 4x4 LWB platform, which is also utilized by the Jeep Compass (MP). The Hornet is offered exclusively with an all-wheel-drive configuration, distinguishing it from the Tonale, which offers front-wheel-drive in some global markets. It is available in four primary trim levels: GT, GT Plus, R/T, and R/T Plus. It is the first plug-in hybrid vehicle by Dodge, and the R/T trim features dual electric motors.
The Hornet also has different specifications, pricing, and features compared to the Tonale. According to Dodge, the Hornet R/T has a range of over. Equipped with the turbocharged engine in the GT trim, the Hornet can go from 0 to in 6.1 seconds. The R/T trim also features a "PowerShot" mode, which delivers a temporary boost of 25 horsepower, to achieve a 0 to 60 mph acceleration in 5.6 seconds.

Equipment

The base GT includes 17-inch aluminum wheels, rain-sensing windshield wipers, and dual-zone automatic climate control. All models have the Stellantis Uconnect 5 system featuring a 10.3-inch infotainment touchscreen and a 12.3-inch digital gauge display. Included are wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto features, as well as Amazon Alexa connectivity. Upgrading to the GT Plus adds a 14-speaker Harman/Kardon stereo and in-dash navigation. Standard driver-assistance features include automated emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection. All models also come with blind-spot monitoring and parking sensors. The optional Tech package also adds adaptive cruise control with lane centering. The Cold Weather Group package combines heated seats, a heated steering wheel, and remote start. Black cloth and synthetic leather upholstery with red stitching is standard on the GT. The GT Plus trim comes with leather. The optional Track package includes imitation suede, while a red leather interior is available.

2025 models

Minor changes for 2025 include redesigned LED headlights and two new exterior color options. The available Track package for 2025 includes steering-wheel shift paddles. This helps position the Hornet as a car for driving enthusiasts and buyers are provided with a one-day course at Dodge's official driving school. A Car and Driver road test of a GT Plus resulted in 0 to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds, which was 0.2 seconds slower than achieved in a test of the more powerful and more expensive Hornet R/T Plus. The 2025 R/T trim received an extended electric-only range. A new 11.5-inch infotainment touchscreen has improved graphics and faster response on Plus trims.

Effect of tariffs

Despite its American badging, the Hornet's Italian production location has created challenges. As a result of U.S. President Trump's tariffs, production of the Hornet has been suspended. The Hornet is subject to a 25% import tariff as of July 2025. The future of the vehicle was uncertain, with the possibility of it skipping the 2026 model year. In September 2025, the head of Dodge, Matt McAlear, noted he would "like to see the compact SUV return to the U.S. someday as the tariff landscape evolves". Nevertheless, after production was stopped in 2025 "amid all the tumultuous tariff policies," Dodge announced in January 2026 that it is ending marketing of the Hornet.

Hornet GLH

In late 2022, Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis announced plans for a more powerful model, the Hornet GLH. The Hornet R/T GLH was unveiled on March 22, 2023. It is a concept car that features visual upgrades, such as lowered springs, 20-inch wheels, unique graphics, and a louder exhaust.

Motorsports

The Dodge Hornet R/T FC1-X is a rally race car that only shares the headlights and grille with the production version of the Hornet crossover. The chassis is the FC1-X, common across all the teams in the classification.
Dodge developed four Hornet R/T FC1-X cars to campaign in the 2024-2025 season of Nitrocross ten-race tour. It is in partnership with the Dreyer & Reinbold Racing team.
The specially-prepared cars are in Group E, the highest class, featuring an all-wheel-drive with four axial flux electric motors producing. The cars are rated to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 1.4 seconds achieving almost 2g of from the standing start. The rally cars race on circuits that combine dirt and asphalt surfaces, along with gap jumps.

Sales

The majority of Hornet sales have been the plug-in hybrid variety.
YearUnited StatesCanada
20239,3362,052
202420,5592,371
20259,3651,690