I thought the Dodge Caliber was ugly enough. The child-in-spirit of a Ram and a Neon makes for a pretty ugly car. However, Dodge wasn’t content to ruin their compact entry – they’ve moved on to ruining their subcompact entry.
As if the horrid vehicle to the left wasn’t ugly enough, the worst news is yet to come. Dodge is developing the Hornet with Chinese automaker Chery. Chery, of course, has absolutely no experience building cars for the US market.
Dodge doesn’t seem to understand a few basic principles about the car business. For a subcompact to sell, it needs at least one of three things going for it. Good looks, great quality, or very cheap price. Mini has the looks segment nailed, Toyota, Honda, and Nissan have the quality angle, while Chevy has the cheap subcompact market all locked up. The Hornet isn’t even released yet, and the future already looks grim for it. Unfortunately, we could see a production preview of the Hornet as early as this fall. Bet on early 2008.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
IT’S LOOKS LIKE AN OFFSPRING OF THE DODGE NITRO. IT LOOKS DECENT, I GUESS.
You’re right – this is a Nitro / Caliber child. Horrid, just horrid. It’s no wonder Dodge is in trouble.
HAHA! YAH, IT’S GOING TO BE PRETTY HARD TO CONVINCE ME TO BUY THIS ONE. I KNOW THAT THESE US CAR COMPANIES ARE OUT SOURCING BUT THIS ONE TAKES THE CAKE ALONG WITH THE ICE CREAM.