The Dodge Hornet has always been the black sheep in Dodge’s vehicle lineup. The spunky CUV was supposed to bring Dodge into the promised land of CUV sales with the Hornet packing performance and technology into its sculpted frame.
However, the Hornet has proven to be a flop with Dodge having trouble moving the utility vehicle as angry dealerships are forced to slap massive discounts on the model just to get it off of their lots. The Hornet’s woes appear to be growing however with Dodge pausing production of the Hornet due to tariffs.
Tariffs give Dodge a TKO in the market
Dodge recently revealed that it’s undertaking this pause in response to tariffs with the Italian-built Hornet being slapped with a 25% tariff as a result of President Trump’s ongoing tariffs. A brief statement released by Dodge via Automotive News says they are stopping production to”assess the effects of US tariff policies” on the Hornet. This means that for the moment, there will be no 2026 Hornet.
If that’s indeed the case, Dodge won’t have to worry about supply in the meantime. The brand has 1,298 2025 models in its dealer inventory with an additional 537 older 2024 models bringing up the rear. These numbers might seem paltry, but all of them have proven to be difficult to sell with the Hornet being a weak player for Dodge since it began production in 2022. It’s Italian counterpart the Alfa Romeo Tonale is also built alongside the Hornet at a plant in Naples, Italy and it too has proven to be a sales dud.
Dodge’s decision bucks tariff trend
Unlike other automakers that have responded to tariffs with price increases and other measures, Dodge’s decision to stop Hornet production reveals just how dire sales for the subcompact CUV have been. In 2024 Dodge sold 20,559 Hornets which is a noticeable improvement over its launch when Dodge only sold over 9,000 of them.
But this figure pales in comparison to its rivals with the Toyota RAV4 selling over 475,000 units and even the Ford Bronco Sport managing to find over 109,000 owners during the same time period.
The two issues that follow the Hornet around are a high price tag and poor packaging with Dodge marketing the Hornet as a performance model. That latter decision meant that while the base GT came to dealerships with a 268 hp turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder, it had a price tag that was noticeably more expensive than comparable rivals. The R/T came equipped with a plug-in hybrid equipped four-cylinder but it also came with an equally beefy price tag.
Dodge has made other hard decisions
In addition to pausing Hornet production, Dodge has also been forced to make some other hard decisions as it attempts to steer itself out of a recent sales skid that has also been a problem for some of its fellow brand teammates.
This included stopping production of the all-electric Charger Daytona R/T with the EV faltering in the face of a changing market and slumping sales from a growing pool of buyers who want a gasoline powered car versus an all-electric one. The Charger EV is still available in higher trims, but the loss of the base R/T is an early indicator that Dodge is reconsidering its all in bet on EVs.
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