Dodge is getting ready to re-enter the small crossover segment with the 2023 Hornet and this time, instead of relying on Jeep as it did with the Caliber, it’s doing it with the help of Alfa Romeo. Just a few months after leaked screenshots from a video apparently filmed on the factory floor surfaced online strongly hinting at the Alfa Romeo connection, and our spy photographers caught the first camouflaged prototype of the 2023 Dodge Hornet testing in Michigan.
As we expected, the Dodge Hornet looks like a rebadged Alfa Romeo Tonale, sharing most of its body panels with the Italian SUV. Styling differences appear to be focused on the front end which trades the scudetto for a more conventional slim grille and bumper intakes, slightly altered US-spec LED headlight graphics, and a new bonnet with Dodge-style air inlets pointing towards a more performance-oriented R/T version in this case.
See: 2023 Dodge Hornet SUV Sure Looks Like A Rebadged Alfa Romeo Tonale
The profile looks identical with the exception of the smaller-diameter five-spoke wheels. Moving over at the back, we can see the same LED graphics on the slim taillights, with the Alfa Romeo badge most likely giving way to the Dodge emblem. The lower portion of the rear bumper has a different texture compared to the top-spec Tonale that has been revealed, coming with blocked tailpipes. However, the same part could also be used in the lower-spec ICE-powered Tonale.
The prototype doesn’t have any hybrid stickers, but we already know that the Dodge Hornet will be offered as a plug-in hybrid. The powertrain that pairs a turbocharged 1.3-litre turbo engine to an electric motor might not be as powerful as in the Alfa Romeo Tonale where it produces 272 hp (203 kW / 275 PS), but it could match the 237 hp (177 kW / 240 PS) of the mechanically-related EU-spec Jeep Compass 4Xe.
See Also: Get A Close Look At The 2023 Alfa Romeo Tonale In 90 New Images
During the announcement for the STLA architectures last year, Stellantis used a 3D mockup with a BEV platform and air-springs that looked very similar to the Dodge Hornet. We’ve already heard that Alfa Romeo may offer a fully electric variant of the Tonale in the future, which could also translate to a Dodge Hornet EV, although nothing is official yet.
Earlier this month, Dodge boss Tim Kuniskis confirmed that, bar any surprise delays, the new 2023 Hornet will be officially unveiled in August 2022. Sources suggest the small crossover will be produced in Italy alongside its Alfa Romeo-badged twin.
