Everything is going wrong
Dodge has quietly removed the Hornet from its North American lineup. Why is that interesting to us? Because the Hornet was built in Italy and is the twin brother of the Alfa Romeo Tonale.
A compact crossover with an attractive starting price, and furthermore, Dodge’s second most popular model in the US in 2025. That doesn’t sound like a car that should be discontinued, yet that is exactly what is happening to the Dodge Hornet, according to Carbuzz.com. The Hornet was launched in 2022 as the American twin brother of the Alfa Romeo Tonale. With a different grille, a hood with aggressive cooling vents, and some other distinguishing details, the compact model was intended to serve as a sort of entry point to the Dodge brand there, which, with an American starting price of just under $30,000 (a Tonale costs a minimum of €46,700 here), should theoretically have been quite.
If you don’t look beyond the surface, the Hornet also succeeded in that mission in America. After all, the model was Dodge’s second best-selling car in 2025, but that says more about the rest of the lineup than about the Hornet. The venerable Durango – the last Dodge with a V8 – is far ahead in first place with 81,168 units, followed by the Hornet with just over 9,000 units.
So, the number 1 sold nine times better than the number 2. Moreover, circumstances are now somewhat worse than before. For example, the Italian-built Hornet is now facing high import duties, and parent company Stellantis had previously decided to discontinue all PHEVs in the US, which automatically eliminated half of the Hornet’s offerings. Furthermore, the Hornet has a poor reputation for reliability in North America. Add everything together, and there is sufficient reason for Dodge to pull the plug. The 2025 model year Hornet is still on the site, and that may remain the case for a while, as the stock will be significant. Those who still want a compact crossover from Italy in America afterwards can still opt for the original: the Alfa Romeo Tonale.
Incidentally, the number 3 on Dodge’s sales ranking is arguably even sadder than this number 2. In that third spot is the new and fully electric Charger, of which only just over 7,000 were sold in its first full year. There simply seems to be no interest in the electric ‘muscle car’, which can now be bought with high discounts at dealerships. A gasoline version has since been launched to boost sales, although it remains to be seen whether its six-cylinder can sufficiently convince classic fans of the brutal Hellcat-Chargers.