The Dodge Hornet was to be the brand’s return to the mainstream, a way to cash in on all the favor the Charger and Challenger had built over the years, infusing an Italian-built crossover that started life as an Alfa Romeo with some American muscle. It stumbled out of the gate in its first year, but we were assured the best was yet to come. (Remember the GLH Dodge promised?) Then, the tariffs came, and with every passing day, the case for saving a struggling volume import became weaker and weaker. Hornet production was suspended in July; it’s fully dead now.
The eulogy a Dodge spokesperson provided to our friends over at CarBuzz reads: “Production of the Dodge Hornet, built in Italy, has ended due to shifts in the policy environment. Dodge is committed to ensuring Dodge Hornet owners continue to receive customer support, service, warranty coverage and sustained parts supply. All Dodge Hornet models carry a 3-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper and 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty. Dodge Hornet R/T PHEV upgrades to 8-year/80,000-mile warranty on hybrid components and 8-year/100,000-mile warranty for battery.”
Surely, the recent cancellation of all of Stellantis’ plug-in hybrid models didn’t help the Hornet’s chances at a comeback. The SUV was offered in two flavors: the base GT, with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with 268 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque; and the R/T, a PHEV incorporating a 1.3-liter turbo for a combined 288 hp and 383 lb-ft of torque. The GT started at $31,990 delivered, while the R/T cost $43,640.
The good news is that if you want to snag a Hornet before they disappear, Dodge currently has 348 new examples on dealer lots at the time of writing. Plenty are listed for under MSRP, to the point that you shouldn’t have much trouble scoring an R/T with a $6,000 discount. It’s shocking to imagine a small crossover with an available hybrid powertrain being killed off so quickly in the here and now, but the circumstances of an upside-down regulatory climate and an automaker fighting to establish itself in a new segment have culminated in exactly that.
Do you own a Dodge Hornet? How do you like it? Let us know at tips@thedrive.com
Backed by a decade of covering cars and consumer tech, Adam Ismail is a Senior Editor at The Drive, focused on curating and producing the site’s slate of daily stories.
