Factory images reveal the Alfa Romeo Tonale SUV could be rebadged as the rumored Dodge Hornet.
New images from the floor of Alfa Romeo’s Italian Pomigliano d’Arco Assembly Plant reveal what could be the rumored Dodge Hornet revival. The pictures show what looks to be the new Alfa Romeo Tonale SUV undergoing some badge-engineering, from its lack of Italian flags to its great big Dodge symbol, and some changes to the hood. All of these differences hint at an all-new copy-cat Tonale coming soon.
The images were posted to forums on the Autopareri website, and shared to Twitter by Cole Marzen this weekend:
Pictured is a red SUV, similar in shape to the familiar Alfa Romeo Tonale, but with a few apparent and strange modifications. The photo of the interior looks like a Tonale cockpit with a Dodge-badged steering wheel. The horizontal air vents, button layout, and infotainment screen appear similar, if not identical to the production Tonale.
The exterior image holds more evidence something is afoot at the factory. It’s certainly not what the 2006 Dodge Hornet concept looked like, though this has absolutely nothing to do with that old concept.
The orange indicators in the headlight unit seem unique, a feature not apparent on the U.S.-market Alfa Romeo Tonale SUV that was just recently revealed. Some forum members claim they can read the “Dodge” brand name on the vehicle’s red brake caliper, though it’s difficult to visually distinguish for certain. The most apparent dramatic visual change to this Tonale variant’s design are the two new nostrils cut into the hood, which also are not on any known Tonale model so far.
The images definitely show an SUV we’re unfamiliar with, and there’s plenty of reason to think it’ll be the Hornet. Dodge filed a trademark back in 2020 for the “Hornet” model name, last used by the AMC Hornet and that 2006 concept, the former of which is technically family to Dodge. If you’re sitting on such a good name, it’s a great idea to bring it back.
Last August, Mopar Insiders reported the Hornet name was definitely coming back as a new plug-in hybrid Dodge due in 2022, making it the first plug-in ever for the automaker, as well as the first of nine new plug-in hybrid models planned across the Stellantis umbrella of automakers, including a new plug-in Alfa Romeo.
The official Stellantis product roadmap for the next few years shows Alfa Romeo and Dodge as the only two in the U.S. with plans for new plug-in models this year. If we get a hybrid Dodge Hornet, it would probably be based the hybrid Tonale that’s already been announced.
If the new Dodge is on track, and these leaked images would suggest things certainly are happening, then Mopar Insider’s previous report suggests we can expect production of the Dodge Hornet to begin this summer in Italy, for the 2023 model year. It’s just too bad the Hornet name is going on one of the most shameful examples of badge-engineering we’ve seen in decades.
