Dodge Hornet is an American Alfa Romeo Tonale
Dodge
There is finally some fresh blood on the way at Dodge. The American automaker currently sells only three models: the Challenger, Charger and Durango. All of them are nice performance cars, which we here in the Netherlands sometimes envy, but all three of them are quite old. The current Challenger is turning 15 and the Charger and Durango may both be nearing high school.
Alfa Romeo
At Dodge, therefore, they are overjoyed with the Alfa Romeo Tonale. Not because they are allowed to sell it in America on behalf of Alfa Romeo – because the Italians just do that overseas themselves – but because they are allowed to convert the model and add a Dodge emblem. Indeed, the American brand and Alfa Romeo are corporate partners at Stellantis and before that at FCA.
Dodge Hornet
By the way, the “American” Tonale does not have a Dodge logo stuck on it at all, but a hornet badge. In fact, the car is called the Dodge Hornet. In broad terms, of course, the Tonale and Hornet are very similar. The rear, in particular, appears almost unchanged. At the front, the Dodge design is more apparent, with pointed headlights and a specific (proprietary) hood, grille and bumpers.
Powerful motors
There will be two variants of the Hornet in the American market. The flagship vehicle will be the Hornet R/T plug-in hybrid. This features the same PHEV powertrain that we get in the Tonale in the Netherlands. The powertrain consists of a 1.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that works together with a 121-hp electric motor on the rear axle.
Together, the engines are good for a combined output of 275 hp and 519 Nm of torque. Power goes to all four wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission. Thanks to a 15.5 kWh battery pack, the Hornet PHEV can travel 48 kilometers electrically. In addition, Americans can also opt for the Hornet GT, with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder good for 268 horsepower. The “new” Dodge has a starting price in America of about 30,000 euros converted.
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