Oh no, if you waited too long to buy a  new Dodge Hornet, then you may have lost your chance. This athletic SUV is officially facing a production delay in response to import tariffs. I feel like it might have an uncertain future. 

Stellantis delays production of the 2026 Dodge Hornet 

While the Dodge Hornet already had seats on the struggle bus, its situation is about to get worse. Stellantis decided to pause production of this compact SUV due to new tariffs on imported cars. 

Once upon a time, the Jeep Renegade was considered cute for being born in Italy. Then it was discontinued. Now the Hornet, which is built beside the Alfa Romeo Tonale in Italy, could suffer the same fate. 

According to Car and Driver, a Stellantis spokesperson shared that the Hornet is postponed for the 2026 model year as the automaker continues to assess the effects of United States tariff policies. 

But I feel like the Hornet might be in the same boat even if the new tariffs didn’t take place. For example, this SUV only sold 20,559 models in 2024. Meanwhile, the Toyota RAV4 sold 475,193 units. 

Also, the Dodge Hornet has been experiencing a massive sales decline so far in 2025. Stellantis could move the hornet to a different factory, or build more models for other countries. 

Stellantis may decide to scrap the Hornet to replace it with something built in America. It’s currently subject to a 25% import tariff that might make it too expensive to profit on. Perhaps Stellantis will make cost cuts to save it. For the time being, it sits in purgatory.