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Dodge Hornet supposedly snapped inside Alfa Romeo Tonale factory

It appears that someone in Stellantis' Pomigliano d’Arco Assembly Plant in Italy couldn't keep their cellphone to themselves. Video uploaded to the Alfa Romeo Club Italia Facebook page, then quickly removed, purports to show Dodge's brand-engineered version of the Alfa Romeo Tonale in the same factory where the Alfa will be built. The Dodge is expected to be called the Hornet, and there are a few differences between it and and Alfa Romeo, which is understandable. But if the screenshots on Twitter are accurate, then the Dodge looks a lot closer to the Alfa Romeo than perhaps anyone expected. The front fascia and hood fall in line with Dodge's design language. The Alfa grille is replaced by a narrow, stepped upper grille, and the hood is one of the vented units similar to those available for Dodge's R/T performance trims. And as Mopar Insiders noticed, the silhouette of this car's front end matches a vehicle silhouette Dodge showed during Stellantis' 2021 EV Day.   Inside, the Italian brand's crest in the steering wheel center cap is replaced by Dodge's twin slashes, and the steering wheel has been stripped of the large, curved paddle shifters the Tonale showed on its debut. There's still a start/stop button on the steering wheel, but where the Tonale has a driving mode dial on its dash, this supposed Hornet has another start/stop button. Dodge's push-to-start buttons are usually on the instrument panel, so our guess is that the wheel is a holdover for testing. On the center tunnel, the parking alert buttons and Italian Tricolore flag on the Alfa Romeo are replaced by three different buttons.   We've known Dodge has two electrified vehicles on the way, and the Hornet name has been low-key buzzing for two years. Fiat Chrysler applied to trademark the name in the U.S. in March 2020; at the time, it was thought a vehicle with that name could replace the Journey. In 2021, a July rumor out of Italy was the first whisper of the Hornet name being attached to the Alfa Romeo Tonale. In August, when Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said Dodge would get a PHEV in 2024, watchers pegged that model as the Hornet. That hybrid powertrain would show a year after the vehicle's launch, the Hornet anticipated as a 2023 model with the Tonale's turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder. That engine could get the same 256 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque as the Tonale, or be boosted to satisfy Dodge's performance credentials.

Chrysler Recalling 870,000 SUVs For Brake Defect

Chrysler is recalling nearly 870,000 SUVs because corrosion may make the vehicles' brakes harder to use. Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango SUVs from the 2011 through 2014 model years are involved. Chrysler says crimp joints in the brake boosters can corrode if they're exposed to water. If the water freezes, the boosters won't aid braking as they usually do. Chrysler began investigating after some customers said their brakes felt too firm when pressed down. The company knows of one accident, but no injuries, due to the defect. Dealers will install a shield to protect the boosters for free and replace boosters that aren't working properly. Chrysler has since changed the design to make the boosters more corrosion resistant. Chrysler will notify owners of the recall, which involves 867,795 vehicles. Related Gallery Safest Crossovers For The Budget-Conscious Family View 10 Photos Recalls Chrysler Dodge

Porsche and Dodge lead JD Power's 2020 APEAL Study

This may sound obvious, but we'll say it anyway: if an automaker delivers exactly the ownership experience that buyers are looking for and have come to expect, they are going to score well in studies designed to measure a vehicle’s appeal. ThatÂ’s why Porsche, with a score of 881, sits at the top of all vehicle brands in JD PowerÂ’s 2020 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study, which is designed to gauge how owners feel about their vehicles on an emotional level. And it's also why Dodge's score of 872 leads all Mass-Market brands, followed closely by corporate cousin Ram. It's worth noting that Dodge — a brand primarily known these days for packing as much horsepower into its aging lineup as possible — was also atop JD Power's 2020 Initial Quality Study (IQS) rankings, making it the first domestic automaker to lead both categories in the same year. Before we continue on with the rest of the winners and losers, we'll mention that Tesla is only unofficially included in this year's study because it did not grant JD Power permission to contact owners of its vehicles in 15 states. Still, the study includes results from surveys completed in the remaining 35 states, and if Tesla had been officially included it would have led all brands with a projected score of 896. Conversely, Tesla would have sat at the very bottom in JD Power's IQS rankings. That means Tesla owners report more problems with their vehicles than owners of any other brand, yet they still love and connect with them on an emotional level. In the Premium rankings, the top five brands were Porsche, Lincoln (876), Cadillac (874), BMW (869) and Land Rover (866). At the bottom of the Premium rankings sit Acura and Audi (tied at 845). Following Dodge and Ram (871) in the Mass-Market category are GMC (857), Ford (853) and Mini (846). Interestingly, there isn't a Japanese brand anywhere in the top five of either category, with Lexus' score of 859 only good enough for eighth spot in the Premium category. The worst performers overall were Volkswagen (832), Mitsubishi (829), Chrysler (828), Toyota (825) and Jeep (822). When asked why Jeep, a brand with a massive fanbase and desirable models like the Wrangler and Gladiator, could land at the very bottom of its rankings, JD Power's Dave Sargent explained that what people love about Jeeps is not necessarily captured in this study.