{"id":223703,"date":"2022-04-27T14:08:02","date_gmt":"2022-04-27T18:08:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=223703"},"modified":"2022-04-27T14:08:12","modified_gmt":"2022-04-27T18:08:12","slug":"dodge-hornet-will-be-offered-with-plug-in-hybrid-option","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2022\/04\/dodge-hornet-will-be-offered-with-plug-in-hybrid-option\/","title":{"rendered":"Dodge Hornet Will Be Offered with Plug-in Hybrid Option"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There\u2019s a big gap in the small crossover market that Dodge plans to fill with the launch of the new Hornet model \u2014 and in an unexpected answer to a journalist\u2019s questions Tuesday evening, brand boss Tim Kuniskis confirmed that a plug-in hybrid version of the new model is in the works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Dodge
Dodge chief Tim Kuniskis confirmed the new Hornet will be offered with a plug-in hybrid option.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

But Kuniskis left a few other things unanswered \u2014 notably whether we might get a look at the already announced battery-electric Dodge muscle car<\/a><\/span><\/strong> later this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new Dodge Hornet is expected to make its bow sometime in mid-August, according to Kuniskis, though the precise details are still being worked out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Filling in the gaps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s not much to the Dodge line-up these days: a pair of muscle cars and the big Dodge Durango. But Carlos Tavares, the CEO of the brand\u2019s parent company, Stellantis, has made it clear that more vehicles are on the way. That includes both an all-electric muscle car due to market in 2024, as well as the Hornet which targets the fast-growing compact crossover segment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tavares set the rumor mill on fire when, last August, he revealed that Dodge would introduce a plug-in model this year. Speculation, not surprisingly, turned to the Hornet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I think we\u2019ve 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,” Kuniskis said on Tuesday evening. In fact, there had been no official confirmation until he spoke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shared drivetrain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"2023
The Alfa Romeo Tonale shares its underpinnings with the Jeep Compass, and now the Dodge Hornet.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Specific details are yet to be revealed but it was widely expected that the Dodge Hornet PHEV will use the same, basic drivetrain as the plug-in version of the new Alfa Romeo Tonale<\/a><\/span><\/strong>. It uses a 1.3-liter turbocharged inline-4 gas engine to power the front wheels, with an electric motor driving those in the rear. The Tonale will make a combined 272 horsepower in U.S. trim, but there\u2019s plenty of flexibility in the hybridized system that could be uniquely tuned for the Dodge Hornet application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dodge hasn\u2019t confirmed where the Hornet will be built, meanwhile, but speculation centers around Italy where it could roll down the same assembly line as the new Alfa Tonale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As to pricing, Dodge is expected to start Hornet at or under $30,000 \u2014 though the plug-in version likely will be pricier \u2014 and very well could be positioned as the sportiest version of the new crossover, taking advantage of the instant torque its electric motor will be able to punch out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Timing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"2023
The Tonale plug-in hybrid’s the version to get for those wanting big performance: 272 horsepower.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Timing is another question. Dodge wants to have the new Hornet ready for the 2023 model year, but Kuniskis noted that this could depend upon the fragile automotive infrastructure \u2014 which has seen plenty of product delayed during the COVID pandemic because of shortages of semiconductors and other components.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis grey hair you\u2019re seeing, it\u2019s not lockdowns, it\u2019s not COVID, it\u2019s supply lines,\u201d the Dodge boss said with a sigh during the media event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even the unveiling of the Hornet is yet to be locked into place. The goal is to lift the covers during what has come to be known as \u201cSpeed Week\u201d in Detroit. That starts Aug. 15 with the Roadkill Nights street racing event near the suburb of Pontiac, and wraps up the following weekend with the annual Woodward Dream Cruise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jeep’s unexpected success<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Since Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and France\u2019s PSA Group merged last year, the newly formed Stellantis has begun ramping up its electrification program. The struggling Chrysler brand, for one thing, will go all-electric by 2026. But even the marques known for high fuel consumption are moving in that direction. Both Jeep and Ram plan to roll out an assortment of plug-in and pure electric models over the coming years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And Dodge is also moving towards battery power. The Hornet PHEV will serve as its first test and, if the success of the Jeep Wrangler 4xe<\/a><\/span><\/strong> is any indication it could click with consumers. That plug-in SUV is now the country\u2019s best-selling PHEV.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s a big gap in the small crossover market that Dodge plans to fill with the launch of the new Hornet model, which included a plug-in hybrid option, reports TheDetroitBureau.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":218925,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7,8,5,10,1164,2648,9],"tags":[5848,5847,2132,1293,5849],"make":[],"post-state":[],"category_old":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223703"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=223703"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223703\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":223711,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223703\/revisions\/223711"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/218925"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=223703"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=223703"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=223703"},{"taxonomy":"make","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/make?post=223703"},{"taxonomy":"post-state","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post-state?post=223703"},{"taxonomy":"category_old","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category_old?post=223703"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}