Two Tonales: New Dodge Hornet Could Just Be a Rebadged Alfa Romeo With Hood Vents

New images from the floor of Alfa Romeo's Italian Pomigliano d'Arco Assembly Plant reveal what could be the rumored Dodge Hornet revival. The pictures show what looks to be the new Alfa Romeo Tonale SUV undergoing some badge-engineering, including a lack of Italian flags, a big Dodge symbol, and big changes to the hood hinting at an all-new copy-cat model coming soon.

The images were posted to forums on the Autopareri website , and shared to Twitter by Cole Marzen this weekend:

Pictured is a red SUV, similar in shape to the familiar Alfa Romeo Tonale, but with a few apparent and strange modifications. The photo of the interior appears to be of a Tonale cockpit with a Dodge-badged steering wheel (or, at least, a Dodge-brand airbag cover). The horizontal air vents, button layout, and infotainment screen appear similar, if not identical to the production Tonale. It's certainly not what the 2006 Dodge Hornet concept looked like, though we'd be shocked if this had anything to do with that old concept at all by now.

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The exterior image holds more evidence something is afoot at the factory, with new orange indicators in the headlight unit, a feature not apparent on the U.S. market Alfa Romeo Tonale SUV that was just recently revealed. Some forum members claim they can read the "Dodge" brand name on the pictured vehicle's red brake caliper, though it's difficult to visually distinguish for certain. The most apparent dramatic visual change to this Tonale variant's design are the two new nostrils cut into the hood, which also are not on any known Tonale model that's been revealed so far.

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It's difficult to determine for certain if this is for sure a new Dodge called the Hornet, just based on what we see here, but the images definitely show an SUV we're unfamiliar with. There's plenty of reason to think it'll be the Hornet, though. Dodge filed a trademark back in 2020 for the "Hornet" model name , last used by the AMC Hornet, which is technically family to Dodge. If you're sitting on such a good name, it's a great idea to bring it back right now, among the ranks of nostalgia models like Blazer and Bronco also returning.

Last August, Mopar Insiders reported the Hornet name was definitely coming back as a new plug-in hybrid Dodge due in 2022, making it the first plug-in ever for the automaker, as well as the first of nine new plug-in hybrid models planned across the Stellantis umbrella of automakers, including a new plug-in Alfa Romeo.

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Looking at the official Stellantis product roadmap for the next few years, Alfa Romeo and Dodge are the only two automakers in the U.S. that are due to introduce new plug-in models this year, which could further suggest a hybrid Dodge Hornet would mean a hybrid of its donor car, the Tonale, too.

If the new Dodge is on track, and these leaked images would suggest things certainly are happening, then Mopar Insider's previous report suggests we can expect production of the Dodge Hornet to begin this summer in Italy, for the 2023 model year. It's just too bad the Hornet name is going on one of the most shameful examples of badge-engineering we've seen in decades.