August 16, 2022 , Auburn Hills, Mich. – The all-new 2023 Dodge Hornet shakes up the compact utility vehicle (CUV) segment, incorporating familiar Dodge calling-card design cues to create the newest entry in the four-vehicle lineup for America’s performance brand.
The Dodge Hornet drives the brand’s muscular design vocabulary into a new segment, with aggressive and powerful exterior design that conveys harnessed power just waiting to be uncorked, along with a race-inspired interior design philosophy that is performance and driver focused.
Exterior: Distinctive Dodge Design
The Dodge Hornet earns its spot in the brand’s vehicle lineup with distinctive Dodge DNA, including hood and front fascia design elements that bring to life the Dodge attitude. The hood features integrated heat extractors for a performance-focused appearance while the front also incorporates a “mail slot”-style grille opening sculpted into the fascia. The “mail slot” also reinforces the horizontal brow of the upper grille and lamp graphics – creating a serious, all-business demeanor. Flanked by two smaller inserts, these design elements telegraph a mission of performance and functionality while also delivering a muscular front-end appearance that follows the look of the Dodge vehicle lineup.
Integrating into the muscular lines of the bodyside are the matte black. molded-in-color lower cladding and valances. The Hornet R/T receives unique new Abyss painted lower cladding and rear valance with integrated dual exhaust ports. Headlamp signature lighting offers an unmistakable, focused down-the-road read for Hornet, with LED reflectors and an illuminated daytime running light (DRL) signature.
At the rear, the Hornet’s Dodge identity shines bright. The taillamp extends the width of the vehicle and features a lighted red signature, as well as an illuminated Dodge Rhombi logo in the center — featured for the first time on a Dodge vehicle — identifying from a distance that it’s a Dodge. The illuminated taillamp and Rhombi logo, while standard on the Hornet, also serves as a subtle nod to the electrified performance of the Hornet R/T PHEV model. An additional exterior feature is an available external panel sunroof that gives the Hornet a fun, open-air feel.
The Dodge Hornet R/T rolls on standard 18-inch Graphite Grey alloy wheels (the entry-level Dodge Hornet GT features standard 17-inch Silver alloy wheels) and features standard dual exhaust tips and black anodized Brembo front brake calipers with the Dodge logo.
A Blacktop package, available for both R/T and GT, brings to life an automotive version of a “murder Hornet,” achieving a blacked-out look through:
- 18-inch Abyss alloy wheels
- Gloss Black badging and mirror caps
- Gloss Black painted day light opening (DLO) molding
A Track Pack optional package, offering the most performance-oriented appearance, is available for both R/T and GT and upgrades to 20-inch Abyss wheels, red painted Brembo front brake calipers with the Dodge logo, along with additional performance and interior features.
Interior: Performance-inspired Styling
The performance-inspired interior follows the driver-focused design that is a calling card of the Dodge brand vehicle lineup. Center stack controls, display screens and more are subtly “tipped” toward the driver, putting the individual in the cockpit at the center of the action. The instrument panel utilizes a wrapped and stitched mid-bolster that extends through the instrument panel and achieves a cross-car read, creating a lighter feeling while adding visual width. Red stitching accents, standard on Hornet, flow throughout the black interior, including on the mid-bolster, seats and armrest. Accents on the vents and center switches provide a slim, technical detail that enhances the performance appearance of the interior.
Ignition control is positioned prominently on the painted finish console. Additional performance controls are placed right at the fingertips with a button on the flat-bottom steering wheel that enables drivers to choose between Sport and Standard drive modes for the GT and hybrid driving modes for the R/T, keeping the driver connected to the car.
Cloth and Leatherette seats are standard on the Hornet R/T and Hornet GT, while premium interior touches include leather seats or the class-exclusive Alcantara leather seats, with an embroidered Dodge Rhombi logo, available through the Track Pack option. The racing-oriented Alcantara seats feature unique “red crust” accents that visually burst out and gradually fade, highlighting the unique Alcantara seat perforation. Leather seating is standard for the R/T Plus and GT Plus, and Dodge made certain to offer optional red leather seats for those seeking more Dodge attitude on the inside.
Badging
A unique new Hornet badge on the fender celebrates the revival of the Hornet — a name first used on the famed Hudson Hornet in the 1940s and again in 2006 as a popular Dodge concept vehicle — and joins the current iconic Dodge badging lineup, such as Scat Pack, Hellcat and Hellcat Redeye. The rear Hornet R/T badge features a unique easter egg in relief that teases the model’s electrified nature.
Color Lineup
The Hornet also features seven exterior hues that mirror the Hornet’s personality, featuring fun and unique color names including:
- Acapulco Gold
- Blu Bayou
- Blue Steele
- Gray Cray
- Hot Tamale
- Q Ball
- 8 Ball
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 muscle cars and SUVs that deliver unrivaled performance in each of the segments where they compete.
Dodge drives forward as a pure performance brand, offering SRT versions of every model across the lineup. For the 2022 model year, 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, and the Dodge Durango SRT 392, America’s fastest, most powerful and most capable three-row SUV. Combined, these three muscle cars make Dodge the industry’s most powerful brand, offering more horsepower than any other 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.
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