In a recent interview with Financial Times Deutschland, Thomas Hausch, Chrysler's vice-president of design, mentioned the company was "working intensely" on moving the Hornet - originally shown at the 2006 Geneva motor show - into production.
"I think we will announce something on this in the future," Hausch said. He also suggested the Hornet could be sold in both Europe and the United States.
Such a product may be beneficial to Chrysler, particularly in the wake of $4-a-gallon gasoline in the U.S. High fuel costs have brought sales of full-size trucks to their knees, a worrisome fact since the automaker is wagering its success on the introduction of the all-new 2009 Ram pickup.
Previous reports indicated that Chinese automaker Chery was working with Chrysler to introduce a Chinese-built subcompact on American shores. However, Chery has since indicated it wants to renegotiate the agreement to provide the cars, leaving that deal's future in doubt.
Instead, there may be a chance that much of the Hornet's mechanicals - perhaps even platform - could stem from Nissan. Chrysler entered a pact with the Japanese company earlier this year; Chrysler plans to provide Nissan with a Ram-based pickup, while receiving a small car, slated for production in Mexico, from Nissan.
Source: Automotive News