DETROIT – The primary electrified car for the Dodge model beneath Stellantis might be a plug-in hybrid crossover referred to as the Hornet, a resurrected identify most not too long ago used for a Nineteen Seventies station wagon.

The compact crossover might be Dodge’s new entry-level car, with a beginning worth of lower than $30,000 for a Hornet GT mannequin with a 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder engine. The plug-in hybrid mannequin, which Dodge is looking the Hornet R/T, will begin at about $40,000.

Whereas the Hornet is not certainly one of Dodge’s signature muscle automobiles, it is an vital car for the model’s gross sales and electrification technique. It marks a return to the lower-priced mainstream market following the discontinuation of the Dart sedan and Journey crossover in 2016 and 2020, respectively.

“We predict the potential is big with the expansion of this phase,” Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis stated throughout a media briefing. He declined to debate gross sales expectations for the car, which was unveiled Tuesday evening at an occasion in Pontiac, Michigan.

The compact crossover phase is among the largest segments within the trade, however Kuniskis stated Dodge will place the Hornet in a different way than opponents.

Dodge says the Hornet can have the highest efficiency within the phase and supply distinctive elements, together with a “Energy Shot” mode for the plug-in hybrid that instantaneously supplies 25 extra horsepower to the car.

The Hornet R/T PHEV can have greater than 285 horsepower and 383 foot-pounds of torque, in accordance with Dodge. It is going to be capable of journey greater than 30 miles earlier than a 1.3-liter turbocharged inside combustion engine activates to energy the car. Dodge says the GT mannequin can have at the least 265 horsepower and 295 foot-pounds of torque.

The Hornet GT is anticipated to reach in U.S. showrooms late this yr, adopted by the plug-in mannequin subsequent spring. The automobiles might be produced at a plant in Italy alongside the Alfa Romeo Tonale, which has a shared a platform and parts however totally different design traits.

Dodge additionally confirmed an idea car referred to as Hornet GT GLH (Goes Like Hell) – one other resurrected identify from the Dodge Omni GLH within the mid-Eighties – that might be constructed utilizing aftermarket components or go into manufacturing at a later date, providing extra efficiency to the car lineup.

The disclosing of the Hornet comes a day after the corporate confirmed it might discontinue the Dodge Charger and Challenger muscle automobiles on the finish of subsequent yr. They’re anticipated to get replaced by at the least one new electrical efficiency automotive beginning in 2024.

Stellantis was shaped by the merger automaker of Fiat Chrysler and France-based Groupe PSA. It has 14 auto manufacturers together with Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep and Peugeot. The corporate is investing $35.5 billion in car electrification and supporting applied sciences by means of 2025.

The Hornet identify was first used for a automotive produced within the Fifties by Hudson Motor, made widespread lately by Disney’s “Vehicles” franchise. It was then utilized by American Motors within the Nineteen Seventies, adopted by Chrysler, now generally known as Stellantis, for an idea automotive that by no means made it into manufacturing in 2006.