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Report: Dodge CEO Considering Sub-$30,000 Sports Car
The cheapest model in Dodge’s three-car range is the $33,180 Hornet crossover. While that’s well below the average price of a new car, which hovers in the vicinity of $50,000, Dodge CEO Matt McAlear believes there’s room in the portfolio for an even cheaper entry-level model with a big emphasis on fun.
McAlear told The Drive that he likes the idea of an “entry-level halo” car. “I don’t know what I’d compare it to. I think there’s inspiration in seeing what some of the powersport companies have done. Not only the crazy side-by-sides, but the three-wheelers, the Slingshots … I think there’s something there,” he added.
That doesn’t mean Dodge is about to go head-to-head with Polaris. McAlear envisions the sub-$30,000 model as “a weekend car” aimed at enthusiasts “who would like a Viper but don’t have that $100,000 or $120,000″ to spend.
(As a side note, you can put a Viper in your garage for much less than that. Hagerty values a 2000 GTS in #3, or Good, condition at $55,600 and a #3 1995 RT/10 at $35,000. But we’ve digressed.)
McAlear must be thinking of something like a Mazda MX-5 Miata or a Subaru BRZ, then? Not quite.
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“If we’re gonna do future products, we need to get original like the Viper. It’s gotta come to market and be unique and different and Dodge. Not a Corvette fighter, not a Mustang fighter. That’s why we’ve never said we want to go after Mustang or Camaro, right? We’ve always been in a straight line, different kind of performance.”
Presumably, those criteria rule out a light, two-seater roadster that’s aimed directly at the Miata.
And that’s fine. There are other recipes for driving thrills at an affordable price. What about a roadster that straddles the line between the three-wheelers McAlear alluded to and a Miata look-like?
Dodge has experimented with the idea of a small, affordable sports car several times in the past few decades. One that comes to mind is the Razor concept shown above, which was unveiled in 2002 with a turbocharged, 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine. It featured a six-speed manual gearbox, rear-wheel-drive, and a pair of Razor scooters (remember those?) instead of a spare. The Sling Shot concept released in 2004 was a two-seater with a targa top, while the 2007 Demon concept was a two-seater clearly developed to take on the Miata. None of these design studies reached production, however.
McAlear also told The Drive that he sees a market for “a top-of-the-line halo” car, something along the lines of the Viper. Although we love the idea of a cheap, fun Dodge and a follow-up to the Viper, we’re taking his comments with a Durango-sized grain of salt. Automakers are businesses and need to turn a profit. Cars are very expensive to develop, and it takes more than an executive’s wish to put a new model in a showroom.
Profits are especially important for Dodge because 2024 wasn’t a stellar year for Stellantis. Would enough people buy a Dodge sports car priced under $30,000 to justify the cost of development? (Or, for that matter, a halo car?) Not likely. Sales of the Miata, the BRZ, and the Toyota GR86 totaled 8103, 3345, and 11,426 units, respectively, in 2024. Granted, the Mazda and the Toyota sold better last year than in 2023, but this type of car is, by nature, niche. And, with just three nameplates in Dodge’s range, is a “weekend car” really the most important item on the automaker’s “to-do” list?
What, in your opinion, should be Dodge’s next model? Let us know in the comments below.
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I don’t think it was very long ago, around 2003-2010, when Chrysler was making and marketing a 2-seat roadster called the “Crossfire.” It was a collaboration with Mercedes which owned Chrysler then. Gues it died when that merger died.
Remember Crossfire SRT 330HP 6cyl MB. !!! ?
Find a well maintained pre-owned, low mileage roadster. Keep cash in your wallet. Lower insurance premiums. More fun, great ride, solid car, premium accessories.
Dodge/Chrysler co-opted with Maserati (the Italian Buick) to create Stellantis and that didn’t turn out too well.
Cheap little sports cars…. Great for high school seniors or college students or racers that like to tinker with mufflers.
The Miata was one of the last of the little fun sports cars that became a cult. The Nissan 370Z is no longer an affordable option and now they are engaging Honda?
What’s left under $30Gs ?
Remember the good ole days of early British or Italian sports cars? MGs, Alfas. Nostalgic simplicity for the weekend mechanic.
Sequential shifting gearbox and high revving motor. Since nobody young knows how to drive a stick anymore. Super light weight so I will get over 40 mpg and under $30K. Make it a street version of a side by side and then also offer off road versions.
Is the MINI successful enough to justify a competitor?
1974… 50 years ago I couldn’t afford a new TR6 so I restored a 62 MGA 1600 MKll and kept it for 27 years. When Miata came out I could not believe how different (modern) it was…. never had one but did shop the later ”Fiatas” a bit.
In my 70’s now I gave up on finding a nice (turnkey) 80’s Fiat 124 Spyder or gen 4 Alfa Spyder for under 35K… which is what they were pushing. Surprised myself and bought a creampuff 18 Audi TT roadster base for about the same money… and it is on a whole nother level than those things…. It has zero of the weaknessess…. like safety, power…. and comfort. Problem solved… at least for me…
…additionally… about 5 years ago I did buy a TR6… a nicely restored one… having never even ridden in one… Well, compared to the MGA I found it to be nose heavy and pushing in the corners and of course devoid of any airbags or crumple zones which were not a factor 50 years ago. Sold it after maybe 75 miles of trying to like it. A coupe of years later, did the same thing on a creampuff Pontiac Solstice conv. …. because it was modern and had airbags, A/C etc. It was ”bumpy” and sat very low inside with a high door edge… and zero storage. Sold it after 100 miles…. That’s when I again tried the Fiat / Alfa search with no luck. Fortunately, the TT solved the problem of a small fun car… safe.. AWD and doppleganger auto… decent sized trunk… very quick. Rides like an Audi… Easy to love…
So if Dodge does try this, it needs to be at least a Miata type car… with automatic as an option. It will be tough to keep the price under 30K…. especially after Covid changed everything.
Take the best, most dependable, engine and transmission they have with 4-wheel disk brakes, make the back seat big enough for two car seats and the trunk big enough for groceries and keep it simple to work on. Best value!
I think its a GREAT idea. And PLEASE stop with all this teenage nonsense about “XXXX FIGHTER”. 99.9% of us drive sensibly and legally and just want a fun but spirited car for a reasonable price. An INSURABLE car, too!
Trucks are hot right now and Dodge needs to bring back a smaller truck like the Rampage they actually have in S,A, or an offshoot of the Dakota to compete w/ the Maverick /Santa Cruz type truck, and possibly a real mid-size sport truck instead of another “Sports Car”They already have that in the Charger R/T,especially if they bring back the Hemi in it and get back to Nascar where the Race on Sunday ,sell on Monday comes to mind.Good luck w/ all the opinions.
Meh. Clone the Scion xB, make it cheap and do lots of customization packages. That’s where there’s a hole in the market.
2 words…”Ug” “Ly”.
From Stellantis??? Good luck!
I’m still would’ve to see a 914 substitute with just ABS and airbags.
The Miata, BRZ, and GR86 are proven, reliable, and awesome to drive. Why would anyone take a chance on a first-year “experiment” from a financially challenged company with a history of very questionable reliability? Just smells like burning rubber, and not the good kind.
Since Stellantis is also parent to Maserati…. I’m thinking it’s time for a new Chrysler Tc by Maserati! If we’re doing this small sports car terrible idea: let’s do it classy
Weekend car? If you can afford a weekend car get a Corvette, or something.
How about a sporty affordable car that you can enjoy driving and using. I think of my geo storm. Not a car that got many accolades
Realistically it was punchy and fun. Beyond that the hatchback swallowed an amazing amount of stuff making the car useable.
Compare that to the later introduced solstice that was fun but couldn’t carry two people and two grocerie bags.
So give us something we can justify buying.
What ever that is in the pictures supplied with this article. It sure looks like a Chrysler Crossfire. “Been there, done that…” And, how did that work out for Chrysler?