Don’t you just miss proper spy shots? It seems all too often that manufacturers post images of their own future product all camouflaged up, bypassing the thrill of the chase. Thankfully, we have something to ease those fake spy shot blues. Carspotter, enthusiast, and overall great guy Sol Marburg spotted a stickered-up compact crossover on a flatbed trailer, and there’s a good chance it’s the new Dodge Hornet. Let’s dive into what we can discern from Sol’s pics of what may be Stellantis’ new high-volume model for Dodge.
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Let’s start with what we know about the Hornet. The Detroit Free Press reported in April that Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis dished out a little bit of information on Dodge’s new baby.
“I think we’ve actually even said when we get back into the small compact space this summer when we launch the Hornet, we will have a PHEV or variant of that,” said Kuniskis, referencing the abbreviation for plug-in hybrid.
Alright, so Dodge is talking about a C-segment product with some sort of plug-in hybrid variant. What vehicle already exists in the Stellantis portfolio that matches this description and will be homologated for U.S. sales? How about the Alfa Romeo Tonale, Alfa’s c-segment crossover. Indeed, put the disguised crossover up against the Tonale, and the greenhouses are identical. Sure, the rear side window looks a touch more angular, but that’s a trick of the camo. We zoomed in and found the camouflage is simply pasted over the window trim.
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Gaze at more shapes, and even more similarities between this crossover and the Tonale appear. The cut line for the rear wheel arch trim appears identical, as does the dash-to-axle ratio. So then, what exactly is different here? Well, there are a few touches along the side that seem distinct from Alfa Romeo’s styling. The character line on the left side skirt adopts a grander upwards sweep and terminates farther back on the sill, the lower rear valence adopts a different profile, and the front end appears more blunt. Yes, visible changes around the side appear minor, although the front end is a very different story.
While the design of the trailer prevented Sol from capturing the full front fascia of this disguised CUV that may or may not be the new Dodge Hornet, his picture still gives us plenty of design clues. For starters, the Stormtrooper/mail slot upper grille setup from high-output Chargers and Durangos makes an appearance here, although the camouflaged patch in the center of the grille is quite interesting. Could it mark the appearance of Dodge’s Fratzog logo? Perhaps, although there’s an equal chance it’s a red herring.
What’s not left to speculation is the massive lower grille with squished honeycomb mesh. While a significant portion of this lower grille appears to be blocked off, there’s still a surprising amount of open frontal area for cooling. Speaking of things not left to speculation, check out the massive sensor low in the front grille. It’s likely a radar unit, although the glossy face is quite curious. Many cheaper cars feature matte faces to their radar units to match matte grilles, so there’s the chance a self-healing coating is at play here to protect the radar unit from stone chips. Also worth noting, check out those cheekbone-like lines on the front fascia. They should do a decent job of breaking up the painted surface of the front bumper and making the front end look less heavy.
Around the back, whoever camouflaged this little crossover certainly did so well. General tail light shape is rather difficult to make out, but I spy a tiny, undisguised clue. If you look at where the right tail light should be, there’s a chunky dark red strip that runs across the corner of the vehicle and onto the tailgate. Given the Tonale’s heckblende full-width tail light treatment, I wouldn’t be surprised if this crossover also wears a heckblende. Whether or not it’s some variation on Dodge’s racetrack tail light treatment remains to be seen. Moving away from speculation and towards observation, I’m seeing a completely exposed lower fascia that’s quite different than what we’ve seen on the Alfa Romeo Tonale. Instead of faux vents and glossy plastic, we’re looking at a matte, unpainted plastic piece with proud parking sensors and an entirely different curvature.
So, apart from some very familiar styling cues and the fact that this crossover was spotted right outside a Dodge dealership, what makes me so sure that this is a Stellantis vehicle? Well, check out this shipping label that has Fiat Lancia LCV printed clear as day on it. A C-segment crossover would be a huge vehicle for a brand like Dodge, seeing as compact crossovers are so wildly popular. While Jeep has been largely positioned to be Stellantis’ SUV brand, consumers have an insatiable thirst for these small crossovers, so stealing a few sales from the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 seems like a fairly worthwhile pursuit.
In any case, it appears that Sol spotted a lower-trim vehicle as the small-looking wheels and unpainted trim point towards a fairly reasonable price point. Truthfully, the timing of this spot feels right considering how Dodge plans on unveiling the Hornet during its Speed Week even between Aug. 15 and 17. Stay tuned in roughly three weeks to see if this stickered-up crossover is indeed the Dodge Hornet.
All photos above courtesy of Sol Marburg
[Editor’s Note: I figure I should add a few BONUS spy photos, since Dustin, the Detroit area-native who bought my 260,000 Lexus LX-470, sent me these:
I’m fairly sure that’s the upcoming 2024 Ford Ranger. -DT]
AMC would likely be quite sad that this name was used in this way. Wonder if it will actually be badged JEEP?
I expect it’ll post decent if not earth-shattering sales while completely killing the presumably significantly more expensive Alfa Tonale stone dead in America, by making it the Cadillac Cimarron of 21st-century compact crossovers.
Is the gas tank filled with despair?
The radiator with the tears of the test drivers?
Did they consult the brotherhood of muscle before adding the Fiat lineup to Dodge?
Eh, should have better driving dynamics than the Escape, at least, not that’s much of a benchmark. The whole category is a about as exciting as getting a new drip coffee maker for the office breakroom. With the Alfa underpinnings, the best we can hope for is something that slightly less of a complete snoozefest than the other snoozefests
Sorry my friend, it’s based on an enlarged version of the jeep renegade platform..
Technically yes, but different subfamily – its on the stretched version used by the Tonale and Compass, not the SWB version used by the Renegade. The family tree has a lot of branches, technically the MiTo is on a variant of the same platform, also.
I don’t think it’s possible for me to be any more bored about a new car than I am about this one. You already know it’s going to be phoned in, and they haven’t even taken the camouflage off it yet.
Agreed. A half-A effort.
I see a lot of manufacturer test vehicles when I’m back in Colorado during the summer. They like to drive the canyon. It’s a fun drive and you can get about 4000 ft. of elevation increase in about 15-20 miles. Usually they aren’t stopping so getting pics is pretty much out of the question.
However occasionally they will stop for a break, lunch or whatever. That’s where I saw a pre-production NSX a few years ago.
I’ve been to Colorado three times for work and I think I’ve seen camo’d vehicles driving around every time. Loveland Pass is a good place to watch for them, and I once stayed at a hotel in Silverthorne with a whole Jeep development team. The parking lot was half full of Jeeps under covers. 🙂
Does it really count if the pre-production time is measured in decades?
OK almost decades.
“However occasionally they will stop for a break”
I am absolutely assuming you meant when the cars break.
Nothing new for the Alfa crew, the Hornet is known to be a badge engineered Tonale, and rumors are the sheet metal is without change, it’s only front and rear fascias that are being changed.
Also as mentioned that lower front section is the Alfa honeycomb pattern and the Alfa RADAR block shape to a T.
I hope that Ranger front end looks remarkably different sans camo, because oof.
Truthfully, I don’t think it will look much better. I think the Maverick is also hideous. I don’t know who at Ford okay’d that hideous over-sized staple pinching the front end like that, but it’s one of the worst corporate design features I’ve seen. It looks terrible in every application.
They missed a chance to call out two old nameplates at once. This should be the Horonet.
This comment has not had enough love shown to it.
Dodge could have had a winner with the original Hornet, they were way ahead of the micro-crossover trend — in 2006! Instead we’ll get an undistinguished CUV.
The reason the Charger/Challenger sell well is because they look like nothing else on the road — not because they’re particularly *good*
that, and fleet sales
If a car company ever made a car with a white/paisley paint scheme, they would have no clue how to disguise that shit.
“Speaking of things not left to speculation, check out the massive sensor low in the front grille. It’s likely a radar unit, although the glossy face is quite curious.”
That’s very much the parking/forward collision sensor on all Alfas. I’d post a photo of it from my Stelvio if I could.
Forgive a non-Mopar guy question, but is this is the first time Chrysler is using the hornet name on one its vehicles?
It was last used on an AMC model, right, or did it appear somewhere in the Chrysler lineup after that?
Last used on a production AMC model.
Chrysler has used the name on a concept previously.
Like TxJeepGuy said, Chrysler was showing a Dodge Hornet concept back in 2006. It got lost in the shuffle with Chrysler’s restructuring and subsequent sale to (merger with?) Fiat. Google it. It was a kind of homely, boxy little beast.
Thank you TXJeepGuy and MiataMarty.!
That must have been what I had somewhere in my mind, or I was thinking of the occasional use of SuperBee nomenclature over the past few decades…
What I want to know: Will the uplevel model have Twin H-Power?
Hudson, then AMC, now Stellantis. All makes that seem doomed to oblivion.
I guess another dumpy, lumpy, smaller crossover is what America is waiting for. With, of course, the added bonus of Fiat quality….
A bigger snooze than the Blazer. Makes me want to take a nap on a beige bed with Kenny G playing in the background.
You nailed it. Why make it a Dodge? Why not a Chrysler? Dodge is supposed to be the performance wing now. This doesn’t fit the mold.
Dodge Caliber 2.0? Sure, okay!
They should captive import the Honda BR-V and sell it as a Dodge Journey
There are plenty of Peugeots, Opels and Citroens they could do a rebadge of that might be more interesting. And cheaper since they’re all Stellantis products already.
Yup, I’d love to see some DSs rebadged as Chryslers. Something is better than nothing.
Exactly, I figured as soon as the merger happened they should just put Dodge badges on Peugeots, Chrysler badges on Citroens and DSes, and then finally have a product lineup.
Yeah, but Honda makes better cars 😉
Otherwise, make
Fiat –> Dodge
Pug/Citroen –> Chrysler
that’s all they need to do
Honest question: how much brand equity do Dodge and Chrysler even have at this point? Outside of the muscle car heritage models, does Dodge move anything? Chrysler has the Pacifica and …? I see Jeeps and Rams everywhere and even Alfas are relatively common around here, which is kind of weird in itself.
Especially since we seem to be in the Great Powertrain Transition, save the bother of badge engineering the fiats and whatever else.
All the charm of a RAV-4, with Alfa reliability!