The Dodge Hornet looks sporty, and its Alfa Romeo roots give it a European flavor, but it could use a more performance-oriented version than the plug-in hybrid variants available now. That could soon change with the introduction of the Hornet GLH, a hot-rodded version of the crossover recently confirmed to be arriving this year.
Dodge CEO Matt McAlear told The Drive that the Hornet GLH concepts would come to life, saying, “You should see it this calendar year. Let’s leave it at that.” He also noted that his sons have been bugging him about the GLH’s arrival date.
The GLH badge came from a partnership with Carroll Shelby and originally meant “goes like hell.” While it remains to be seen if the Hornet GLH will live up to that legacy, it will almost certainly deliver more horsepower than the Dodge Omni GLH, which offered a mere 146 horsepower from a turbo-four. That said, it will definitely weigh more than the Omni’s modest curb weight of just over 2,000 pounds.
Dodge’s GLH concepts featured a load of Mopar Direct Connection parts, with the automaker saying that it had created “stage kits” with varying performance improvements and lower suspension. We don’t have any details on specs or configurations for the new SUV, but it will likely outprice and outperform the current R/T Plus flagship.
McAlear said Dodge was being very cautious about pricing the new Hornet correctly. “This year, we got a lot of things in play to reposition the price point again. We just announced to our dealers that we’re gonna have it start at $29,995, get it back down in MSRP, and focus on the ICE models.”
[Images: Dodge]
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