Dodge Hornet Manufacturing Ends as Tariffs Reshape the Lineup : Automotive Addicts

Automotive

Dodge simply hit the delete key on its most cost-effective new car, and it’s a transfer with ripple results for anybody who needed into the model with out stepping as much as a much bigger, pricier SUV. The Dodge Hornet is formally out of manufacturing, and the reason being not a redesign or a brand new technology ready within the wings. It comes all the way down to the present tariff surroundings hitting imports tougher, with the Hornet’s Italy-based manufacturing making it particularly weak.

The Hornet was in-built Pomigliano d’Arco, Italy, which put it within the crosshairs of a 25% obligation on European imports. That makes it robust to maintain a compact crossover priced and positioned the best way Dodge supposed, particularly as prices stack up throughout the trade. Dodge’s personal messaging factors to coverage adjustments because the catalyst, whereas additionally stressing that present homeowners will nonetheless get assist, guarantee protection, service, and components availability regardless that new manufacturing is completed.

The Dodge Hornet incorporates a vehicle-width taillamp with a middle illuminated Dodge Rhombi brand — a primary for a Dodge car.

If this feels prefer it got here out of nowhere, it actually didn’t. Final summer season, Dodge paused Hornet manufacturing whereas the corporate weighed the affect of U.S. tariff insurance policies, and that pause turned out to be the start of the tip. The Hornet debuted for the 2023 mannequin yr and solely made it via three mannequin years, which is a brief run by any fashionable customary. For 2025, pricing began at $31,990, making it the accessible entry level to the Dodge badge for buyers who needed one thing smaller than a Durango.

Premium inside touches for the Dodge Hornet R/T and GT embody class-exclusive Alcantara seats that includes an embroidered Dodge Rhombi brand, included with the non-obligatory Monitor Pack.

Now the entry ticket to a brand new Dodge will get noticeably steeper. With the Hornet gone, the lineup leans closely on the Durango for SUV buyers, and the hole between “most inexpensive” and “subsequent obtainable” will get wider quick. It additionally leaves the Alfa Romeo Tonale, the Hornet’s platform sibling, because the closest various within the Stellantis household, although it performs in a unique house and usually prices extra. For Dodge, the larger story is how rapidly the market can power a model to simplify, particularly when coverage, pricing strain, and demand all collide on the similar time.

Mike Floyd is a finance government by commerce and a automotive fanatic at coronary heart. As a CFO with a eager eye for element and technique, Mike brings his analytical mindset to the automotive world, uncovering contemporary insights and distinctive views that transcend the floor. His ardour for automobiles—particularly his favourite, the Porsche 911, fuels his contributions to Automotive Addicts, the place he blends a love for efficiency and design together with his skilled precision. Whether or not he’s breaking down trade developments or spotlighting rising improvements, Mike helps preserve the location each sharp and forward-thinking.