Dodge Hornet

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The Dodge Hornet is a concept car designed and developed by Dodge and revealed in 2006. It is Dodge's first attempt at building a car this small, and it is expected to hit the road in 2010.[1] Industry sources familiar with Chrysler's plans say the Hornet will be the first fruit from the cooperation between Chrysler and Nissan.[2] It is expected to be an upscale small car designed to compete against the Mini (BMW).[2]

According to Dodge it is a rally inspired design based on the Jeep Compass platform, powered by a 1.6 L supercharged 4-cylinder Tritec engine rated at 170 hp (127 kW). This engine was manufactured in a Chrysler-BMW joint venture in Brazil.[3][4]

The Hornet has a throaty engine note, louder than Dodge's V10 Viper, and the performance of this car really is not surprising given Dodge's history of building "quick" cars with the New Charger and the Challenger soon to be arriving on UK roads. It can rapidly accelerate from 0-60 in 7.5 seconds, which is the same as the 'Checkmate Mini', and at £14,000 it is £4,000 less than the Mini. The Hornet's rear doors are rear-hinged to provide easier access to the rear seats, like those of the Mazda RX8.

  • Engine - 1.6 L straight-4 (Supercharged)
  • Power - 170 bhp (127 kW)
  • 0-60 mph - 7.5 seconds
  • Top Speed - 135 mph (217 km/h) +
  • Price - £14,000 (estimated)

The Hornet name originates with the Hudson Hornet built by Hudson Motor Car Company, later the American Motors Corporation (AMC), from 1951 to 1957. The AMC Hornet was the second car to use the Hornet name from 1970 to 1977. AMC was acquired by Chrysler (Dodge's parent) in 1987.

References

  1. "Hornet Now A Possibility For Chrysler". Auto Trends. http://www.autotrends.org/hornet-now-a-possibility-for-chrysler/. Retrieved on 2008-07-31. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 Wernie, Bradford (16 June 2008). "Chrysler's Nissan car likely will be a Dodge Hornet". Automotive News 82 (6312): 6. 
  3. Franney, James (July 12, 2007), Chrysler takes full control of Tritec: BMW transfers 50% stake in Brazilian engine plant, Automotive News Europe, http://www.autonews.com/article/20070712/ANE01/307120003, retrieved on 31 July 2008 .
  4. "BMW Sells Stake in Tritec Plant (Updated)". MotoringFile. http://motoringfile.com/2007/07/12/bmw-sells-stake-in-tritec-plant/#comment-140411. Retrieved on 2008-07-31. 

External links


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Cars: Challenger | Copperhead | Demon Concept | Intrepid ESX | Razor | Slingshot | Super 8 Hemi
Vans / SUVs: EPIC | Hornet | Kahuna | Powerbox
Trucks: M80 | MAXXcab | Rampage Concept | Sidewinder
Motorcycles: Tomahawk