Affordability is a buzz word these days with the word often being used as part of a broader statement on how new car prices have gone up in recent years. However, there was a time in the 1990’s when it could also be used to describe an influx of affordable sports cars that once permeated the automotive market.

Spearheaded by Japanese automakers, it was a lucrative space before the rise of SUVs and large pickups forced many of them out to pasture with the few remaining (Subaru BRZ, Toyota GR86, and the Mazda MX-5 Miata) being rare examples of a once strong segment. Dodge’s CEO Matt McLear appeared to put some newfound life into rumors that Dodge might be considering a comeback into the segment.

Dodge is a veteran of the affordable sports car wars

If you choose to not count the controversial and pretty woeful Dodge Caliber, Dodge’s last compact sports car entry was the Dodge SRT-4 a spirited offshoot of the affordable Dodge Neon. The SRT-4 checked off all the right boxes when it came to the segment with the spicy four-door getting a manual transmission, compact lines, and an equally compact price tag. This allowed it to be a constant presence in the early affordable sports car scene before it was axed in 2005.

Dodge never made a formal sequel (again we don’t count the Caliber) but when asked about it in an interview with the folks at The Drive the exec said there’s still strong demand for such a model stating “Yeah, there’s absolutely a market for affordability. There’s a market for affordability in something that nobody else is offering and separates us from the pack.’

It would solve a major pricing problem

Building an affordable sports car would also solve a prominent problem that exists within the brand, pricing. Dodge is a brand built on performance and powerful engines with V8s in particular helping Dodge create a stable of reliable sale generators over the years. This has come so at the cost of not having a formal gateway into the brand. With the Dodge Hornet getting axed, the cheapest way to currently get into a Dodge product is the $38,495 Dodge Durango SUV.

The Durango has proven to be a good long-term player for the brand, but it’s far from the entry-level compact that some budget buyers want with the SUV simply being too big for some of their needs. It’s also aging and is long overdue for a drastic overhaul.

What would it look like?

For its part, Dodge hasn’t confirmed anything and the CEO did little to confirm such a model is heading into production either. However, the brand will most likely go for a compact sedan which would allow it to compete with rivals like the Honda Civic Si and the Hyundai Elantra N.

This strategy would allow it to tap into a broader market and also allow it to work with what it has available. In the case of Dodge, it could be the Attitude. This particular compact sedan is sold in international markets with Mexico being the closest one to the U.S. that has access to it. The Attitude would give Dodge an easily accessible platform to work with and with the Attitude’s base engines in Mexico being far from performance inspiring, a U.S. version could perhaps be equipped with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine that would be loaded to the gills with SRT sourced upgrades.

Of course, Dodge could also go for a two-door like it teased with the old Dodge Demon and Dodge Razor concepts. These two teased a budget friendly sports car and a modernized interpretation would allow it to be on par in aesthetics with the GR86 and the BRZ.

Only time will tell but with the brand desperately needing something to draw in more budget-focused performance car buyers, having a compact-sized gateway model could allow the brand to strike gold once again especially if it brings back the SRT-4 nameplate.