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.

“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.