Chrysler working "intensely" on Hornet-like small car

The folks at Chrysler have finally come to the realization that it's time to stick a fork into that whole gas guzzler thing. They're done. Panicked about what to build instead, they have searched through the company's closets and drawers looking for the plans for a small car that might get them out of the hole they've been digging. Apparently this is all they could find, the Dodge Hornet concept from the 2006 Geneva auto show. And although they are "...working intensely on the Hornet study..." it may still take a couple of years before it sees a driveway. We think Chrysler's designers may be conferring with their Chinese counterparts in an attempt to make the Hornet more "unique".

Ok, maybe it's not that bad. The box shape certainly worked for the Scion XB 1.0, yielding a lot of space inside a small package. The internet forum at the website that the company set up for the concept even had a few people show up and rave about the styling for a week or two. Of course, the new product won't look like the Hornet exactly. When asked, Thomas Hausch, the company's vice president for international purchasing, couldn't even say whether it would even wear the Dodge insignia. He did, though, intimate that there would be a Chrysler smaller than the 2-liter Sebring coming. Hit the jump to see a video of the Hornet buzzing along.

The video meant to be presented here is no longer available. Sorry for the inconvenience.

[Source: Automotive News Europe (Sub req'd} / Dodge-Hornet.com]