Hornet Tops The Top-10 Slowest-Selling Vehicles List Again

Too big a leap I guess, as at first blush thought the Hornet was going to sell well.
Time to say flop.
Too close to the Alfa Romeo which is priced appropriately for its market, so clearly price difference reluctance from AR and spin off styling was an issue. Perhaps a big price drop, emphasis on gas power and a hybrid and FORGET the electric paper weight and a serious styling change could save all the investment. Maybe it is replaced by the.. hold on..Chinese - Mexican Journey. I know, bad idea. Just reaching for straws here. Dodge is really in bad shape with the new Charger facing stiff pushback, no marketable crossovers and the Challenger banished to nowhere land. What a series of bad decisions almost anyone with some auto business savvy could have predicted. Bad time for a flop, but a flop it is.

Reply 1 Like

I see to many negatives with the Hornet, despite it being a pretty decent vehicle. I know not everyone here will agree but this is what I see.
1) The many issues out of the gate it had and Dodge dealers were not prepared for it. The added bad press was not helpful at all.
2) It was promoted, for the most part as the replacement for the Journey in the Dodge line up, but was much smaller and more expensive.
3) Size. Don’t think brand loyal Dodge owners want a small Dodge SUV. Remember Dodge loyalists are used to Ramchargers, Durangos, Nitros, and Journeys.
4) Still not ready for EV’s yet. Yes, the first batch were Hybrids, but they were a small number and hard to find.
5) Again, price is a tad high for the market/buyers they are trying to reach.
6) Are Brand loyal Dodge buyers ready for a real Italian made Dodge? Yes, the Jeep Renegade, is a true Fiat, but it says Jeep, and has a Jeep feel.
Those are just somethings I have observed. Now if Dodge had a true midsize replacement for the Journey and this was the next step down of a 3 SUV line up, it may have done better.
Now I have not seen a new “Mexico” Journey up close, but everything I have read and seen in videos and pictures, I really think it would have worked here in N.A. much better than the Hornet. Yes it’s China made, but it seems like a sweet ride.
Don’t get me wrong on the Hornet, I like it, but my 3 hang ups are its smaller than my wife’s Cherokee, the high price and that it’s a full EV. I could be wrong on my points, but something is making this dead in the water.

Reply Like

First of all, I notice the new BMW 2-series is no longer on the list. That model which the Tonale and the Hornet compete against had a lower transaction price than the Dodge Hornet when they were on the list together.

Second, the Dodge Hornet is not a full battery electric. It is a plugin hybrid. There isn't a fully electric option on the Hornet and never was one offered. Plugin hybrid vehicles are hot sellers in our market place. The PHEVs of all the other brands have waiting lists for purchasing one.

BTW, the first batch of Hornets were conventional gas models, the hybrid followed by a few months. The price for the hybrid version is price competitive with other brands.

Finally, once again Stellantis is slinging Hash at the marketplace and the buyers won't have it. It didn't work when AMC put a Hudson front clip on a Nash and called it a Hornet in the mid-Fifties, and it didn't work when Studebaker did the same thing with a Packard grill on one of their cars.

As far as brand loyalists, the Hornet, as bad as its sales are, probably sells better than the last few years of the Ramcharger. The Nitro and Journey did not generate loyalty. They were Dodge's blue light specials, and the Nitro is another case of a car company slinging Hash at the marketplace. The way to build brand loyalty is through quality.

The styling holds the Hornet back. Whoever approved of that is probably senile. To come out with a stale look and persona on that vehicle, while a completely different design motif is waiting in the wings, is just plain dumb. The hybrid drive train is supposed to be cutting edge, yet the Hornet is saddled with last decade's full size Dodge styling. The marketing for both this Dodge and the Fiat 500X on the list are killing the brands.

I'm posting this link again. While this concept was fully electric, it points to a time when Dodge wanted to reach out to a new generation of buyers.

I remember when the 1975 Charger came out and was saddened to think that the 1971 Charger wasn't the stepping stone into the future, at that time.

Reply 1 Like