Photo: Aksyonov Nikita/Behance
Last year, Stellantis finally gave Alfa Romeo a jolt, and the premium Italian automaker expanded its two-model lineup (consisting of the Giulia sedan and Stelvio CUV executive models) with the introduction of a fresh crossover SUV.
The carmaker’s fans waited for this move for a (very) long time, particularly since Type 965 also signaled the inaugural arrival of hybrid powertrains – not just the brand’s first new model in more than half a decade. Packing both regular ICE, mild hybrid, and plug-in hybrid options, the novel Tonale crossover seemed like a clean start for Alfa Romeo. However, there is one ‘tiny’ issue that could easily spiral out of control.
That would be its pricing strategy. As such, for example, the Alfa Romeo Tonale kicks off at no less than £45k (over $55k) in the United Kingdom. Over in America, meanwhile, it is going to get hurt by a slow roll-out, not just the high MSRPs. Indeed, in the United States, it does not fare much better, given the starting quotation of almost $43k, which is a bit higher than some other Stellantis products – including a V8-powered Dodge Charger sedan, if you can believe that!
Luckily for U.S. and Canada fans, there is a cheaper alternative – also from Dodge. That would be the all-new, first-ever Hornet compact crossover SUV, which is Tonale’s sibling with a slightly different design and a much lower MSRP, as the company did keep its promise of having the novelty start at under the $30k threshold. As such, one could easily say that it is the (way) better alternative, right?
Both in the real world as well as across the imaginative realm of digital car content creators, as it turns out. As such, after we have previously seen the Tonale morphing into a compact pickup truck, now it’s Dodge Hornet’s time to shine as a unibody ‘workhorse’ ready to brawl with America’s beloved Ford Maverick and the ritzy Hyundai Santa Cruz. And it is all courtesy of Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation-based virtual artist Aksyonov Nikita, who usually dwells on Behance to create various reinterpretations of European models.
This time around, after a trio of Alpine A110 GT ideas (in Sand Gold, Rosso Dino, and the cool Marlboro livery), he jumped across the pond – aka the Atlantic Ocean – and envisioned the potentially perfect Stellantis unibody compact pickup truck. After all, if Ram does not want to do it (because they are busy with a mid-size EV model, perhaps), then Dodge could easily pick up the tab and give Ford and Hyundai a run for their pocket-sized truck money!
Of course, there would be the question of pricing and finding a viable powertrain – but we are sure that the OEM could work that out on its own, right? After all, we are all here just wishful thinking…
That would be its pricing strategy. As such, for example, the Alfa Romeo Tonale kicks off at no less than £45k (over $55k) in the United Kingdom. Over in America, meanwhile, it is going to get hurt by a slow roll-out, not just the high MSRPs. Indeed, in the United States, it does not fare much better, given the starting quotation of almost $43k, which is a bit higher than some other Stellantis products – including a V8-powered Dodge Charger sedan, if you can believe that!
Luckily for U.S. and Canada fans, there is a cheaper alternative – also from Dodge. That would be the all-new, first-ever Hornet compact crossover SUV, which is Tonale’s sibling with a slightly different design and a much lower MSRP, as the company did keep its promise of having the novelty start at under the $30k threshold. As such, one could easily say that it is the (way) better alternative, right?
Both in the real world as well as across the imaginative realm of digital car content creators, as it turns out. As such, after we have previously seen the Tonale morphing into a compact pickup truck, now it’s Dodge Hornet’s time to shine as a unibody ‘workhorse’ ready to brawl with America’s beloved Ford Maverick and the ritzy Hyundai Santa Cruz. And it is all courtesy of Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation-based virtual artist Aksyonov Nikita, who usually dwells on Behance to create various reinterpretations of European models.
This time around, after a trio of Alpine A110 GT ideas (in Sand Gold, Rosso Dino, and the cool Marlboro livery), he jumped across the pond – aka the Atlantic Ocean – and envisioned the potentially perfect Stellantis unibody compact pickup truck. After all, if Ram does not want to do it (because they are busy with a mid-size EV model, perhaps), then Dodge could easily pick up the tab and give Ford and Hyundai a run for their pocket-sized truck money!
Of course, there would be the question of pricing and finding a viable powertrain – but we are sure that the OEM could work that out on its own, right? After all, we are all here just wishful thinking…
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