Jeep Compass has ‘versions’ of Alfa Romeo and Dodge, but they continue to sell less and less

While the 2nd generation Jeep Compass has accumulated nine consecutive years as the best-selling medium SUV in Brazil, two “cousins” that were born on the same basis have suffered opposite fates abroad. The Dodge Hornet, closed in January, has almost zero stock in the United States: there are less than 90 units left in dealerships, according to a survey by the Carscoops website. The Alfa Romeo Tonale, its Italian brother, is expected to be discontinued in 2027.

Hornet and Tonale were, in practice, variations of the 2nd generation Compass with another body and another emblem. The three share the Small Wide 4×4 LWB platform, the architecture of the former Fiat Chrysler that debuted with the current generation of the Compass in 2017. Hornet and Tonale even left the Pomigliano d’Arco factory in Italy side by side.

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The list of shared components is long: the 2.0 turbo gasoline engine from the GME-T4 family, the same used in Jeep and Alfa Romeo, yields 272 hp and 40,8 kgfm in the Hornet GT and also the Jee. The plug-in hybrid versions derived from the European Compass 4xe system: in the Hornet R/T, the 1.3 turbo added to the rear electric motor delivers 292 hp and 53 kgfm. Digital panel, Uconnect 5 center, screens and most of the internal parts were also common to the three, which have similar dimensions: the Hornet measures 4.52 m in length, compared to about 4.40 m for the Compass.

The recipe is part of the project standardization strategy of Stellantis, owner of 14 brands. By sharing the same platform between Jeep, Dodge, Alfa Romeo and even the Fiat Toro pickup, the group dilutes the high development costs and accelerates launches, in the so-called badge engineering.

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The problem is that the formula did not convert into sales outside Brazil. The Hornet had its best year in 2024, with 20,559 units registered in the US; in 2025, it plummeted to 9,365, a drop of 54%. The Tonale sold only 5,652 copies in the same market in 2025, a decrease of 36%. Dodge attributed the end of the model to “changes in the political environment”, market reading for the 25% tariff on imports, since the car came from Italy.

The comparison with Brazil is revealing. The Compass alone sold 61,262 units here in 2025, up 22.4%, and was among the ten best-selling cars in the country. The volume is almost triple the Hornet’s best year and more than ten times that of the Tonale in the US.