Dodge could be looking to sting the car market like a hornet with the new trademark filing that might suggest a new product of some sort.Filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) at the beginning of the month and discovered by MotorTrend, the ‘Hornet’ and ‘Dodge Hornet’ are said to be in the process of being secured in Canada and Mexico as well.
So, the big question is, what could a Hornet or a Dodge Hornet be? The brand’s lineup is outdated and only includes the Challenger, Charger, Durango, Journey and Grand Caravan, with the latter to be pulled out soon, and the second-to-last believed to follow it. As such, Dodge will be left with only the 9-year old Durango to cater to the needs of high-riding vehicle buyers, so they might be planning a compact crossover.
Of course, there’s no indication pointing in any direction at the time of writing, but we could also assume that with the FCA-PSA merger, some Euro companies might be heading to North America, and they could be rebadged as Dodges. It would make sense for the North American automaker to secure a moniker that’s already familiar to potential customers.
The AMC (American Motors Corporation) Hornet was made between 1969 and 1977, and was a compact car offered in 2-, 3-, 4- and 5-door body styles, with front-engine and rear-wheel drive. Last time the Hornet nameplate was used on a vehicle was in 2006, when they presented the sub-compact concept, which was supposed to preview a model for the European market, but its fate was sealed by the 2009 financial crisis.
Now, with the demand for crossovers and SUVs skyrocketing, it would make sense for FCA to plan more. We will just have to wait and see if they approve it for production and if it will indeed be another high-rider.
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