Dodge Hornet Concept

[FlippiN.af]

Link for this article: http://cars.ign.com/articles/692/692406p1.html
Dodge Hornet Concept
Dodge's B-segment concept is set to put the hurt on its competition.
by Justin Kaehler
February 28, 2006 - Last year, Dodge announced its plans to branch out of the U.S. and aggressively stake out a place for itself in the lucrative global car market. While we Yanks know that Dodge is very popular here in the States, the brand is practically unknown in Europe and Asia. Dodge unveiled its first C-segment car (and Neon replacement) designed for the world market, the Caliber, at last year's Frankfurt Auto Show. But with the growing popularity of the even smaller B-segment cars (think Scion xB or Chevy Aveo), Dodge decided it needed a car for that market as well.

While there is no "official" B-segment car coming from Dodge just yet, it did show off this sweet Hornet concept at this year's Geneva Motor Show. While most B-segment cars try to "charm" people with their friendly and sensible looks, the Hornet comes off as a decidedly American, pissed off-looking, rally-inspired machine.


The Hornet looks a lot like it took many of its styling cues from Scion's xB. Like the xB, the Hornet has a tall, two-box shape and wheels that are pushed out to the far corners of the vehicle. However, the Hornet benefits from some sculpted fenders, 19-inch wheels and Dodge's unique "crosshair" grill. Believe it or not, this car's wheelbase measures at just 99.8 inches. That's about the same size as an xB!


Dodge is one-upping the xB's cool factor by offering a number of paint and window color schemes. When a potential customer chooses the color of his or her Hornet, he or she can then choose a contrasting glass color as an accent. From what we hear, this idea was born from the colored glass found in many of today's popular sunglasses. We wonder if we can get some chrome-rimmed amber-tinted glass to go along with our "ironic" aviator/cop shades...

Anyway, we can see the Hornet Concept's contrasting glass/paint color scheme in the picture above. The color of this concept is "Liquid Silver" and the window color is "Blue View".


B-segment cars aren't known for their big and powerful engines; most people buy B-segment cars for their small and fuel-efficient engines. While it's nice that these cars do well on gas, they are almost always painfully slow.

This Hornet Concept, on the other hand, boasts a 1.6-liter supercharged four-banger that is good for 170 horsepower and 165 lb.-ft. of torque. Most B-segment cars have engines in the sub 110-horsepower range, so as car enthusiasts, we welcome this extra bit of kick. Should a Hornet make it into production, it would be safe to say that we'd only see the supercharged engine in a SRT-badged car. Dodge isn't showing the full engine (we hear it is the same block found in the standard MINI), but we can see a massive intercooler peeking out from behind the lower grille.


Crawling through the suicide-style doors reveals a pretty big and cool-looking interior. It's a simple and modular-looking affair, so naturally we really dig it. The rear seats have a 225 millimeter (8-inch) range in which they can be slid back and forth, providing ample legroom for back seat passengers. Of course, all of the seats can fold flat to accommodate larger cargo.


Probably the coolest thing about the Hornet's interior is these removable storage door-mounted bins. As you can see, a first-aid kit is also included for when you get stung by this Hornet. Oh snap! We did not just go there!

As is the case with most concept vehicles, Dodge has not made any official announcements about whether or not the Hornet will make it into production. However, we do know that the company wants a B-segment vehicle in its line-up, and this Hornet looks damn-near production-ready.

Until the inevitable announcement of the Hornet being green-lighted for production, why don't you check out our Media Page for more pics of this super-hot American-styled B-segment ride!




Picture Page 1: http://media.cars.ign.com/articles/6...06/imgs_1.html
Picture Page 2: http://media.cars.ign.com/articles/6...06/imgs_2.html

Whats your opinion on this concept?

[Jaguar D-Type]

I like the styling.

http://seriouswheels.com/top-2006-Do...et-Concept.htm

[FlippiN.af]

Originally Posted by Jaguar D-Type

I like the styling.

http://seriouswheels.com/top-2006-Do...et-Concept.htm

Thanks for the pics.

I think this car is awesome, I'd probably only buy the srt version though.

[Jaguar D-Type]

I like the styling.

[jamestcs]

Wow, the car is cool ! Wish i could have one

[G-man422]

I've been looking at pics of this car a lot lately, i love it.

[blindside.AMG]

It looks a lot more appealing than the other cars in it's market (Honda Element to name one) but I probably woulnd't consider buying one. Just not my thing. Looks good none the less.

[Filthy Sanchez]

Nasty looking, just plain ugly. Yet better than a Scion.

[Vejita88]

ugly lookin' thing...

[Be Good]

NICE... similar to the PT Cruiser, hopefully this doesn't replace the PT