The Dodge Hornet is a compact crossover SUV that Dodge sold exclusively in North America from the 2023 through 2025 model years. Produced in Italy, it is a rebadged and restyled variant of the Alfa Romeo Tonale sold at a lower price, and it was Dodge’s first plug-in hybrid and its first new model since 2011.
Dodge Hornet at a glance
| Production | 2023-2025 model years |
|---|---|
| Class | compact crossover SUV |
| Base car | Alfa Romeo Tonale |
| Factory | Pomigliano d’Arco, Italy |
| Platform | Stellantis Small Wide 4×4 LWB |
| Drive | all-wheel drive only |
| GT engine | 2.0 L turbo four, 268 hp, nine-speed automatic |
| R/T engine | 1.3 L four plus two electric motors, 288 hp |
| Electric range | over 30 miles for the R/T |
| Trims | GT, GT Plus, R/T, R/T Plus |
| Discontinued | after the 2025 model year |
Based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the Dodge Hornet.
History of the Dodge Hornet
The Hornet name is a legacy trademark that began with the Hudson Hornet of 1951 to 1957, a full-size car famous for its dominance in early 1950s NASCAR racing and later popularised by the film Cars. After Hudson and Nash merged into American Motors, the name was used for the AMC Hornet compact from 1970 to 1977. Chrysler bought AMC in 1987 and with it the Hornet trademark, used the name in 2006 for a small five-door concept aimed at the European B-segment, and in 2020 FCA applied to reserve the names Dodge Hornet and Hornet at the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
The production Hornet was revealed in August 2022 as a 2023 model. It was Dodge’s first all-new model in over a decade, following the end of the Journey crossover, and its first compact SUV since the Jeep Liberty-based Dodge Nitro was discontinued in 2011. Its exterior design was led by Jeff Gale, son of former Chrysler design executive Tom Gale. The car was built at the Stellantis factory in Pomigliano d’Arco, Italy, alongside the Alfa Romeo Tonale, on the Stellantis Small Wide 4×4 LWB platform also used by the Jeep Compass. Unlike the Tonale, which offers front-wheel drive and is sold globally, the Hornet came only with all-wheel drive and only in North America.
Four trims were offered: GT, GT Plus, R/T and R/T Plus. The GT models used a 2.0-litre four with a nine-speed automatic producing 268 hp and reached 60 mph in 6.1 seconds. The R/T was Dodge’s first plug-in hybrid, with two electric motors, a 1.3-litre four and a six-speed automatic for a combined 288 hp, an electric range of over 30 miles and a PowerShot mode that added a temporary 25 hp to cut the 0-60 time to 5.6 seconds.
Equipment on the base GT included 17-inch aluminium wheels, rain-sensing wipers and dual-zone climate control, while all models had the Uconnect 5 infotainment system with a 10.3-inch touchscreen, a 12.3-inch digital instrument display, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Amazon Alexa, automated emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring and parking sensors. The GT Plus added a 14-speaker Harman Kardon stereo and in-dash navigation, and the optional Tech package brought adaptive cruise control with lane centring. For 2025 the Hornet received redesigned LED headlights, two new colours, shift paddles in the Track package and an 11.5-inch touchscreen on Plus trims.
Despite its American badging, the Hornet was built in Italy, and the 25 per cent import tariff introduced in July 2025 led to a suspension of production in August that year. In September 2025 Dodge’s head, Matt McAlear, said he would like to see the compact SUV return to the United States as the tariff landscape evolved, but in January 2026 Dodge announced that production of the Hornet would end after the 2025 model year.
Design and features
- Alfa Romeo base: a restyled Tonale built alongside it in Italy.
- Two powertrains: a 268 hp 2.0 turbo GT and a 288 hp plug-in hybrid R/T.
- All-wheel drive only: a difference from the front-wheel-drive Tonale.
- Uconnect 5: a 10.3-inch touchscreen and 12.3-inch digital instruments across the range.
Dodge Hornet versions
- GT: the entry model with the 2.0-litre turbo and 268 hp.
- GT Plus: the same engine with luxury equipment and a Harman Kardon stereo.
- R/T: the plug-in hybrid with 288 hp and PowerShot mode.
- R/T Plus: the hybrid with the luxury specification.
The Hornet filled the compact SUV gap left by the Dodge Nitro and sat below the Dodge Durango in the range. More Dodge models are in the Dodge collection.
Sources
- Dodge Hornet, English Wikipedia: name history, launch, engines, tariffs
