Dodge Hornet

For its unusual and attractive looks, Dodge's Hornet attracted loads of attention at the Geneva Auto Show in March this year.

The car is such a stunner that its production strategy has triggered feverish speculation in the Autoville. Will the car be made in China.
When it debuted at the Geneva show in March, the Dodge Hornet created quite a buzz.

Not just because of its rather different looks, but also because of the production strategy that Chrysler was likely to crank out for this entry-level car.
The car, smaller than the Caliber, has a 1.6 liter supercharged engine with 170 hp and 165 lb-ft (224 Nm) of torque (both at 4,000 rpm); the intercooler is visible from the grille, and includes a functional hood scoop.

The transmission is a six-speed manual. The body features frameless windows and more glass than current models.

The seats have thinner, but still comfortable cushions to provide more interior space and make folding easier. It is designed to accommodate both left- and right-hand drive.
Four months on, that buzz has turned into a din. The Hornet is an exciting car for Chrysler. The Hornet is the smallest car that Chrysler has ever made.

Partly because it will help the company attack a whole new segment in North America and Europe, and partly, because it will give the company fresh foothold in Asia.

It is smaller than the 2007 Dodge Caliber and was targeted at both Europe's sub-compact market as well as the growing American interest in hatchbacks

he latest speculation over this rather unusual looking vehicle is over its productionising. Both European and American media have talked about Chrysler negotiating with as many as three potential partners to produce the Hornet.

The names include Volkswagen and Chinese company Chery. Chrysler officials have in the past indicated that the company is talking to a number of potential partners to assemble the Hornet for the US market.

In separate interviews, Chrysler top bosses have indicated that VW is a potential partner given its expertise in the segment that the Hornet will attack.
Analysts say Chrysler is looking to tie-up with a company that already has architecture expertise in the small car segment.

VW's Jetta and Polo platforms make it a potential candidate as does Chery's small car platforms. It is currently not clear who the third player is, though indications are that it's an Asian company.

Will the Chinese or German-built Dodge Hornet take the American market by storm? Would Chrysler use this product to get into the fast-growing hatch market in Europe and Asia?

Would Chrysler expand this assembling arrangement for a larger component and platform swapping relationship? Watch this space for more details on this one.