Dodge took the time to celebrate Hemi Day on April 26th by announcing Preston Patterson as its inaugural Chief Donut Maker, and invited media to an online announcement, followed by a Q&A led by Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis. And while Patterson will be killing tires in a Hellcat V8 muscle car, Kuniskis was able to shed a few details on the brand’s next product: the 2023 Dodge Hornet SUV, as well as confirming multiple vehicles and variants in the pipleline.
“We have multiple cars we’re going to be launching,” said Kuniskis. “Some will be full BEV, some will be PHEV… when we get back into the subcompact space later this year when we launch the Hornet, we’ll have a PHEV variant of that.”
The Dodge Hornet was leaked to the internet via a factory floor photo of the compact SUV from the Pomigliano d’Arco plant in Italy.
For the United States, the Alfa Romeo Tonale will come with the choice of either a 2.0L turbocharged gas engine, as well as a plug-in hybrid model with a 1.3L gas engine. Now, a 1.3L engine probably isn’t allowed into the Brotherhood of Muscle, but this is likely the powerplants we’ll see in the Dodge Hornet when it debuts later this year. With relation to the Alfa Romeo, the Dodge Hornet would ride on the Small Common Components and Systems platform, or SCCS platform. Not the STLA Small platform.
Dodge otherwise has teased and confirmed an upcoming “eMuscle Car” that will be on sale by 2024. It will be replacing the beloved Dodge Charger and Challenger muscle cars we know today, as well as sidelining the Hellcat V8 engine, as tightening regulations continue to squeeze the liability, autonomy, and combustion out of personal transportation.
2006 Dodge Hornet SUV Concept. Image Via Stellantis
