After generating a ton of buzz with the reveal of its heralded Electric Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Concept earlier this week, Dodge is buzzing (pun!) again by reviving the Hornet name on its new compact utility vehicle.
If the name Hornet sounds familiar to you, that’s because it’s been around for a darn-long time. It was originally used by automaker Hudson before it merged into AMC in the 1950s. (And for fans of Pixar’s “Cars” movie, it inspired Paul Newman’s Doc Hudson character.)
Then the Hornet was reborn as a compact under the AMC badge during the 1970s, before disappearing again as the decade came to a close. Now, since Chrysler purchased AMC in the 1980s, Dodge has picked up the Hornet moniker and it looks like some performance is coming along with it.
The Dodge Hornet essentially comes in a two flavors: an upper tier gas-electric hybrid R/T along with the GT, which uses an internal combustion engine alone. We’re particularly interested in the GT model though, because Dodge is calling it the “quickest, fastest, most powerful compact utility vehicle under $30,000.”
So yeah, if the Hornet name didn’t already have our attention, that claim certainly made our ears perk up a bit.
The Hornet GT carries the Hurricane4 2.0L turbo four banger, which Dodge says makes north of 265 horsepower and 295 lb.-ft. of torque. Combine that with an electronically controlled limited-slip differential, and the GT will scoot from zero-to-sixty in about 6.5 seconds.
It’s also wearing other performance oriented parts, like Koni shocks and Brembo four-pot brake calipers.
Dodge Hornet GT GLH Concept
If bringing back the Hornet name with a 265+ hp powerplant wasn’t enough, Dodge just strung together an acronym beloved by the Mopar faithful:
G-L-H
Short for “Goes Like Hell,” the GLH letters allude to the 1980s-era Dodge Omnis that were worked over by none other than Carrol Shelby to create one of the most under-the-radar hot hatches ever assembled.
The new Hornet GT GLH concept carries on that hot hatch legacy by wearing some aftermarket performance parts like larger wheels, a suspension kit, and less-restrictive exhaust system.
Will the GLH make it to showrooms? Maybe. But we know the GT definitely will. In fact, Dodge says the 2023 Hornet GT will arrive on dealer lots by the end of 2022.
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