Dodge Hornet (concept car)

The Dodge Hornet was a mini MPV concept car designed and developed by Dodge and revealed in 2006, the first time Dodge had tried to build a car this small. Dodge was preparing to enter the European market with a B-segment model and showed the concept on the European show circuit, aiming it at young urban buyers. The rally inspired concept used a 1.6 litre supercharged four-cylinder Tritec engine rated at 170 horsepower, which could take it from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 7.5 seconds with an estimated top speed of 135 miles per hour. A production car was expected in 2010 and was at one stage planned to share the platform of the Nissan Versa, but the Great Recession and the restructuring of the Chrysler Group stopped development. After the Fiat merger, compact test cars were widely called the Hornet, but in late 2011 Dodge announced that its new small sedan would be called the Dart instead.