Canada Press Kit: 2023 Dodge Hornet

Windsor, Ontario August 16, 2022 - Dodge is introducing the all-new 2023 Dodge Hornet, the brand’s first-ever electrified performance vehicle and the new gateway to the Dodge “Brotherhood of Muscle.”
 
The Dodge Hornet aims to disrupt the fastest growing segment, bringing Dodge style and performance to the mainstream compact utility vehicle (CUV) market. Hornet marks a significant milestone for the brand, becoming the first all-new vehicle in the lineup since 2013.
 
“The new Dodge Hornet is a Dodge through and through,” said Tim Kuniskis, Dodge brand chief executive officer – Stellantis. “It’s the exact opposite of a by-the-book compact utility vehicle. Hornet is better looking and more powerful than any other car in the segment. And it’s the only one available with factory-warrantied, dealer-installed Direct Connection performance parts.
 
“The Hornet name is a direct lift from the concept car that Dodge displayed a few years back (in 2006). Reviving a name like Hornet, that has visualization that ties into our past, drives greater engagement from our enthusiasts as opposed to using a generic name. The new Hornet might not have much in common with that concept aside from a name, but it fits perfect.”
 
Gateway to Muscle
The all-new Dodge Hornet is the brand’s gateway into the “Brotherhood of Muscle.” But it also represents the start of the brand’s evolution to full electrification. Performance-driven buyers will recognize Hornet as the first step in Dodge’s performance-through-electrification, and the only true performance CUV in the market.
 
Hornet will bring two new highly efficient powertrains to the brand: the Hurricane4, a powerful turbocharged four-cylinder, as well as an even more powerful plug-in hybrid. Both represent evolutionary steps – or a gateway -- toward fully battery-electric muscle cars.
 
“The challenge is that the UV segment, like other segments, has become very commoditized,” said Kuniskis. “There are tons of players, and in a lot of cases the segment is very vanilla. How do you separate yourself from that? We want to do it differently by making Hornet a true gateway into the brand. It’s a gateway into part of the Brotherhood, showing what we can do within any segment.”
 
The Dodge brand is in the beginning of a new era — an evolution that moves the brand forward without moving away from what makes a Dodge vehicle unique.
 
North America’s Performance Brand
Dodge owns a unique reputation as North America’s muscle car performance brand, earned through game-changing vehicles such as the 717-horsepower Dodge Charger and Challenger SRT Hellcats, 797-horsepower Charger and Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeyes and 807 horsepower Charger and Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye Jailbreaks. The new Dodge Hornet is the next step on the Dodge brand’s path to becoming North America’s No. 1 performance brand by 2025.

“We know a few things as the Dodge brand: we know who we are, we know where we win, and we know our customers,” added Kuniskis. “Our position as America's performance brand means we need to back it up with real performance claims that resonate with our highly engaged customers. Because we understand our customer, we know that the raw, passionate appeal of a traditional Dodge muscle car can sometimes clash with day-to-day practical needs. So, through the years, Dodge has expanded the muscle formula to bring more customers into the fold, from the four-door Charger to the most powerful SUV in the world. Hornet builds on that muscle recipe as it extends the Dodge brand’s offering to the compact UV segment.”

The Dodge Hornet breaks into a new space for the brand, the CUV segment, the 4th largest segment in Canada and the 2nd largest Utility Vehicle segment, a trend projected to continue over the next five years. The all-new Dodge Hornet appeals to underserved CUV customers, slotting into white space where Dodge’s performance focus disrupts the segment and stands out from the crowd. 
 
Hornet brings CUV segment-first performance features to the mainstream, such as Brembo brakes, available premium Alcantara seats, standard Koni FSD Shocks, adaptive dual-stage-valve suspension, dynamic torque vectoring and an electronic limited-slip differential.  The Dodge Hornet R/T plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) model also delivers performance-through-electrification with an exclusive on-demand PowerShot feature that extracts max battery power, delivering an additional 25 horsepower and instant torque and shaving a second off the normal 0-97 km/h (60 mph) times.
 
The Dodge evolution — performance through electrification
Dodge delivers performance, using innovation such as electrification to provide enhanced performance to its customers. Dodge vehicles will maintain Dodge DNA, with muscular exterior styling and driver-centric cockpits familiar to current Dodge enthusiasts, retaining the Dodge attitude that loyal customers demand. Hornet is the first step in that journey.
 
Dodge’s reputation for performance will separate Hornet from the CUV pack. The Dodge Hornet offers the most power in the segment in both its traditional internal combustion engine, the entry-level Dodge Hornet GT model, and the brand’s first ever electrified powertrain in the form of the Dodge Hornet R/T.
 
Hornet’s multi-energy powertrain lineup delivers the most power with both gas and PHEV offerings: 265-plus horsepower and 285-plus horsepower, respectively.  But straight-line speed isn't the whole story with Hornet. Thanks to its rigid body, tuned suspension and dynamic torque vectoring with electronic limited slip differential, Hornet can take on corners as well as quarter-mile straights.

The Dodge Hornet model lineup is lean and effective, and starts off like most things Dodge, with a choice of powertrains and performance:

• The entry-level Dodge Hornet GT model offers the most powerful internal-combustion engine on a CUV, and with a starting price of $37,995, it is the quickest, fastest and most powerful UV under $40,000
• The Dodge Hornet R/T model packs the most power in the segment courtesy of its PHEV architecture and standard performance features like fixed Brembo brakes, column paddle shifters, 18-inch wheels and dual exhausts
•  Both models offer more standard features than CUV competitors, such as 22.5 inches of combined screens between the head unit and the class-leading all-digital cluster
• The “Plus” models of GT and R/T include high-value content like heated and ventilated leather seats, power sunroof, Harmon Kardon® premium sound system and a power liftgate
• Optional packages include the Blacktop appearance package, with upgraded 18-inch darkened wheels, badges and mirror covers/moldings
• The flagship performance Track Pack optional package includes 20-inch wheels, fixed red Brembo calipers, Alcantara seats, dual-stage-valve suspension and aluminum interior accents
• Hornet offers a Level 2 Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS), called the Tech Pack, providing customers with cutting-edge driving and parking assistance technology

 
The all-new 2023 Dodge Hornet will be built at the Giambattista Vico Stellantis plant in Pomigliano d’Arco, Naples, Italy. The 2023 Dodge Hornet GT production will begin in Q4 and will begin arriving in dealer showrooms in late 2022, with the Dodge Hornet R/T scheduled to hit showrooms in spring 2023.
 
Dodge//SRT
For more than 100 years, the Dodge brand has carried on the spirit of brothers John and Horace Dodge. Their influence continues today as Dodge shifts into high gear with a lineup that delivers unrivaled performance in each of the segments where they compete.

Dodge drives forward as a pure performance brand, offering SRT versions of the Dodge Challenger, Dodge Charger and Dodge Durango, as well as an R/T plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) version of the all-new 2023 Dodge Hornet, representing the brand’s first-ever electrified performance vehicle. Dodge delivers the drag-strip dominating 807-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock; the 797-horsepower Dodge Charger SRT Redeye, the most powerful and fastest mass-produced sedan in the world; the Dodge Durango SRT 392, North America’s fastest, most powerful and most capable three-row SUV; and best-in-class standard performance in the compact utility vehicle segment with the Dodge Hornet. Combined, these four muscle vehicles make Dodge the industry’s most powerful brand, offering more horsepower than any other North American brand across its entire lineup.

In 2020, Dodge was named the "#1 Brand in Initial Quality," making it the first domestic brand ever to rank No. 1 in the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS). In 2021, the Dodge brand ranked No. 1 in the J.D. Power APEAL Study (mass market), making it the only domestic brand ever to do so two years in a row.

Dodge is part of the portfolio of brands offered by leading global automaker and mobility provider Stellantis. For more information regarding Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), please visit www.stellantis.com.