What will Dodge do in 2023?

This new model might be a bigger deal for Dodge than anything with a supercharged V8. It's the brand's first all-new vehicle since the 2013 Dart was revealed in early 2012. Say hello to the Dodge Hornet. A compact crossover that will offer Dodge's first-ever plug-in hybrid driveline.

The day after Dodge announced the end of the line for its V8 muscle cars, it announced its first electrified model, its first all-new vehicle for the Canadian market in a decade, and one that could well shatter the sales figures of anything to wear the badge in a long time.

The 2023 Dodge Hornet is designed to be a compact crossover that still appeals to buyers who loved Dodge's brash aggression in the Charger, Challenger, and Durango. The automaker calls it a "‘gateway’ for enthusiasts to enter the Dodge Brotherhood of Muscle."

That means muscle car styling cues like hood heat extractors, Dodge's full-width Racetrack taillight, a "mail slot" grille opening, and chunky fenders. There's also a new Dodge badge on the trunk and Hornet badging on the fenders.

Can the Hornet deliver on that look, though? Dodge thinks it can. The base GT model gets a 2.0L turbo-four with 265 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. With a nine-speed automatic, Dodge calls it the quickest utility vehicle for under 40 grand.

GT will get performance goodies we don't usually expect in this class, like Koni performance shocks, dual stage shock valving, torque vectoring AWD, and an electronic limited-slip differential. GT will get Dodge's good screens, too, including a 12.3-inch digital dash and 10.25-inch center screen with UConnect 5.

Hornet R/T is the PHEV model, with a 15.5 kWh lithium-ion battery that can deliver an estimated 50 km of range. The gas engine is a 1.3L turbo-four and together the two deliver 285 hp and 383 lb-ft of torque.

A sport mode called PowerShot delivers 25 more horses for 15 seconds. It cuts a full second off the run to 100 km/h and can be repeated after a 15-second cooldown. The PHEV will have hybrid, electric, and battery-saving modes. Recharging takes as little as 2.5 hours on a Level 2 plug.

Other performance parts on R/T include fixed four-piston Brembo brake calipers. They're the only such brakes in the segment, Dodge says, and they'll be an option on GT. With 18-inch tires fitted, Dodge claims an impressive 0.9g cornering performance.

Dodge will be offering a Track Pack upgrade for both Hornet models. Included are 20-inch wheels and Alcantara sports seats, as well as a flat-bottom steering wheel.

A GLH Concept was introduced at Dodge's reveal, a nod to that pack on the 1980s turbocharged Omni. Here it's set to be a post-sale add-on through Dodge's Direct Connection performance parts arm, but it would include suspension lowering, louder exhaust, and a "stage kit that offers stackable performance upgrades."

Back to what buyers are likely to actually care about, comfort and tech features. The UConnect 5 system comes with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. It can also connect two devices at once through Bluetooth. Optional equipment will include a 465-watt Harmon Kardon audio system, and every Hornet will get passive keyless entry and rain-sensing wipers.

Driver assistance basics include automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane support system with automatic counter-steering, and blind spot detection with rear cross path alerts. Rear parking sensors are also included.

Level 2 advanced driver assistance features come with the tech pack and include adaptive cruise with traffic sign recognition and speed updates, driver attention assist, and a new system called Lateral Control/Lane Support that blends lane control and traffic jam assist to help keep you centred on the highway.

Production of the 2023 Hornet starts later this year, with GT models expected in showrooms before the new year. R/T models will come a bit later, expected at dealers in the spring.

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Evan is an East Coast based automotive journalist and a Certified Engineering Technologist. He is an avid autocrosser, hack mechanic, and a member of AJAC. If you don't find him driving or writing about cars, you'll probably find him in the garage breaking one.

• After more than a decade in production, the 2023 Dodge Charger and Challenger will be the last year in this current generation.
• Production at Brampton, Ontario will run through the end of December 2023.
• Dodge plans to allocate the entire 2023 model year all at once, and publish which dealers are getting specific allocations online.
• Each 2023 Dodge Charger and Dodge Challenger will get a “Last Call” plaque commemorating the last year.
• The “Jailbreak” package expands to the standard SRT Hellcat models (as well as the Redeye) for this final year.
• Pricing for the 2023 Dodge Charger and Challenger will be announced soon.

The Dodge Charger and Challenger have had a long (and profitable) run, but all things must come to an end.

Electrification is the name of the game, and Stellantis aims to revamp the Dodge brand to suit, with its own particular flair toward performance, of course. We’ll have more information on that soon as part of the brand’s “Speed Week”, wherein it will lay out the roadmap ahead over the next couple years. For now, though, pour one out as the current generation cars finally get an expiration date.

So, what are the highlights of the 2023 Dodge Charger and Dodge Challenger? At a glance, the models will continue more or less unabated, with a few twists for their final model year. Classic and modern colors return to the lineup, including B5 Blue, Plum Crazy purple, Sublime green and Detroyer Grey. All Chargers and Challengers built for 2023 will also see a “Last Call” commemorative underhood plaque, as the Brampton, Ontario assembly plant closes out a production run that’s built 3 million cars since 2005.

The ‘Jailbreak’ package — an option that opened up a bewildering amount of customization to Hellcat Redeye buyers last year — also expands to the standard 717-horsepower Charger and Challenger SRT Hellcat models for the last stretch of the run. Charger and Challenger R/T models will get “345” fender badging, calling out the 5.7-liter V-8, much like the larger-displacement SRT and Hellcat models do.

“Last call” may mean a free-for-all, depending on which Charger or Challenger you want

Another twist in the brand’s “Never Lift” plan and an effort to send out the Charger and Challenger centers around how it’s going to hammer out its production run to dealers. The entire 2023 allocation is going out to dealers all at once, and the automaker plans to make that allocation visible to end customers through its website DodgeGarage.com.

What should happen then, Dodge says, is that buyers will be able to see how many units of a particular car their dealer has to sell. If your dealer doesn’t have an allocation for the Charger SRT Hellcat you want, for example, then you’ll know to go to another dealer who does have such an allocation to put in your order. Time will tell whether that works seamlessly in practice, but the idea is to provide transparency so folks can land their 2023 Dodge Challenger or Charger while they still can. Once the production run at Brampton Assembly closes in December, that’s it — you won’t get another chance, outside of buying out of dealer inventory or going used.

Nods to heritage

In this last model year, Dodge also plans to go berserk with its special editions, harking back to iconic models from the brand’s past. Seven such cars will make their way out into the public consciousness over the coming months, although Stellantis is playing coy on exactly what those heritage models will be, for now. They are being “teased and displayed” under covers at the M1 Concourse in Pontiac, Michigan during Dodge Speed Week.

For the time being, we won’t see exactly what Dodge has in mind for six of those cars before the end of this year. However, it is taking one model to SEMA in early November, so we will get a closer look at what’s coming in Las Vegas. When all seven special editions actually do break cover, Dodge says they will sell on a first-come, first-served basis through “top-selling” dealers.

Like the “Last Call” allocation, a list of dealerships where you can buy these heritage cars when they’re available will be published through Dodge Garage.

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