1,070 HORSEPOWER MAKES THE DODGE HORNET EVEN COOLER
The Dodge Hornet R/T arrived a year ago as the brand's first-ever electrified production vehicle, and now it's preparing to take to the track for the first time, putting its stylish design (albeit exaggerated here) in front of millions of motorsport fans' eyes. This is the Dodge Hornet R/T FC1-X, and it's the Brotherhood of Muscle's entry into the Nitrocross Series, which sees rally cars compete on a circuit that mixes dirt and asphalt surfaces with 200-foot gap jumps.
Dodge
Like many automakers, Dodge evolved from being a machine shop that supplied parts and assemblies in the early 1900s to a fully-fledged automaker. The Dodge brothers started building cars in 1914 under the 'Dodge Brothers' brand - the company was sold to Chrysler in 1928, originally producing trucks, full-sized passenger cars and compact cars. These days, the brand is known for performance cars like the iconic Charger and Challenger, sold under the Stellantis banner.
As its caricatured body suggests, the racer is related to the production crossover in name only, with an all-new purpose-built chassis, a highly tuneable suspension setup, and a fully electric powertrain delivering over 1,000 horsepower to all four wheels.
0-60 MPH In The Blink Of An Eye
Torque figures and weight numbers have not been revealed, but all Nitrocross Group E vehicles feature an 800 kW powertrain producing 1,070 peak horsepower, enabling 0-60 mph in a scarcely believable 1.4 seconds, thanks to axial flux motors on each axle. From a standing start on asphalt, almost 2G of longitudinal acceleration is possible, and these machines are not much slower on dirt.
Key Mechanical Details
- Tubular chassis
- Carbon fiber tub
- Alcon braking system
- Double-wishbone R53 suspension front and rear
- 12 inches of wheel travel
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The race car's suspension is particularly noteworthy, offering adjustments for camber and caster, as well as for the front and rear anti-roll bars. Steering is handled by an electrically assisted system, which will be operated by a star-studded four-person strong contingent of entries that includes Lia Block, the youngest ever Group E competitor and the only woman in the class, two-time Group E series champion Robin Larsson of Sweden, Jamaica's Fraser McConnel, and Norway's insanely talented Andreas Bakkerud.
Helping To Boost Sales
Considering the overwhelming demand the Hornet experienced when it was first announced, one might wonder where the value in such a marketing exercise lies; in August 2022, Dodge had received over 14,000 pre-orders less than a week after revealing the crossover. Unfortunately, the hype has since faded. Sales figures as of April 2024 reveal that roughly 2,000 examples were delivered in the first three months of 2024 (7,418 total), which is more than any month in 2023.
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Things haven't improved much since then; as highlighted by Mopar Insiders, the Hornet was the second slowest-selling car in America for the month of June, losing its title as the poorest performer in the US to the all-electric Jaguar I-Pace, which is a far pricier proposition. Worse still, four of the 10 worst sellers were Stellantis vehicles. Dodge will be hoping that seeing a high-performance version competing in one of the most exciting motorsport formats around will boost the Hornet's popularity with buyers, but it remains to be seen if this will have the desired effect. For the record, the Hornet R/T available to buyers produces 288 hp and 383 lb-ft of torque and can achieve 0-60 mph in as little as 5.6 seconds with the PowerShot feature enabled, which adds an extra 30 hp for short bursts of acceleration.