Dodge just hit the delete key on its cheapest new vehicle, and it is a move with ripple effects for anyone who wanted into the brand without stepping up to a bigger, pricier SUV. The Dodge Hornet is officially out of production, and the reason is not a redesign or a new generation waiting in the wings. It comes down to the current tariff environment hitting imports harder, with the Hornet’s Italy-based production making it especially vulnerable.

The Hornet was built in Pomigliano d’Arco, Italy, which put it in the crosshairs of a 25% duty on European imports. That makes it tough to keep a compact crossover priced and positioned the way Dodge intended, especially as costs stack up across the industry. Dodge’s own messaging points to policy changes as the catalyst, while also stressing that existing owners will still get support, warranty coverage, service, and parts availability even though new production is finished.

If this feels like it came out of nowhere, it really did not. Last summer, Dodge paused Hornet production while the company weighed the impact of U.S. tariff policies, and that pause turned out to be the beginning of the end. The Hornet debuted for the 2023 model year and only made it through three model years, which is a short run by any modern standard. For 2025, pricing started at $31,990, making it the accessible entry point to the Dodge badge for shoppers who wanted something smaller than a Durango.

Now the entry ticket to a new Dodge gets noticeably steeper. With the Hornet gone, the lineup leans heavily on the Durango for SUV shoppers, and the gap between “most affordable” and “next available” gets wider fast. It also leaves the Alfa Romeo Tonale, the Hornet’s platform sibling, as the closest alternative in the Stellantis family, though it plays in a different space and typically costs more. For Dodge, the bigger story is how quickly the market can force a brand to simplify, especially when policy, pricing pressure, and demand all collide at the same time.