Dodge Is Apparently Interested in Making an Affordable Miata Fighter for the First Time Ever

Auburn Hills isn’t really known for cheap sports cars, but that could change in the near future.

Rear view of a gold Dodge Demon convertible with red taillights and silver wheels.

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Published April 9, 2026

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Updated April 9, 2026

Dodge is apparently open to pitching a new affordable sports car aimed at the likes of the Mazda Miata and Toyobaru twins. Speaking with CEO Matt McAlear, The Drive learned that the Auburn Hills automaker sees potential in an often overlooked nook of the car market.

While McAlear didn’t confirm nor deny any concrete plans, the fact that he’s open to the prospect leaves a lot of potential on the table. Especially since new cars keep ballooning in cost.

Dodge making an affordable sports car would be a huge first

Orange convertible sports car with black interior driving on a curved road near a rocky hillside. — Dodge tried taking aim at the Mazda Miata and Honda S2000 in 2003, but didn’t proceed with the concept.

Sports cars, in the conventional sense, aren’t typically associated with Dodge. They’re best known for originally producing Ram pickups, muscle cars and some of everyday affordable mainstream vehicles.

But sports cars were never really a part from the brand’s mission statement. Aside from oddball creations like the Viper, the Conquest (which was nothing more than a rebadged Mitsubishi Starion) and the Stealth (another rebadged Mitsubishi, the 3000GT).

Even for a company that now prides itself as a performance brand, the company’s never really had a dedicated sports car. Sure, we’ve had examples like the Omni GLH and the Neon SRT-4.

But those were high-performance trims of preexisting economy cars. Not dedicated sports cars.

Orange convertible sports car with silver roll bars driving on a road. — The Dodge Demon Roadster Concept was the company’s last pitch at an affordable sports roadster.

However, now, McAlear thinks there could be room for Dodge in the affordable sports car niche.

“Yeah, there’s absolutely a market for affordability,” McAlear told The Drive when asked the question about sports cars. “There’s a market for affordability in something that nobody else is offering and separates us from the pack.”

Blue four-door sports sedan with rear spoiler and silver alloy wheels parked in front of a modern architectural structure. — While Dodge did produce some notable performance cars, like the Neon SRT-4, it still wasn’t a dedicated sports car.

“Are we working on anything? Nothing that we can confirm or deny,” McAlear continued. “I absolutely think that one of the things that we owe our dealers and owe our consumers are more affordable-price vehicles that not only just get you from point A to point B, but do so with style, attitude, and performance.”

Dodge wants to go “back to basics”

White two-door sports coupe with pop-up headlights parked on rocky terrain at sunset. — Dodge attempted to capture the lust of the Japanese import sports car trend in the 1980s by rebadging Mitsubishis, like the 3000GT, which they called the Stealth.

However, McAlear expressed that he doesn’t want to jump the gun. Such an idea would require a heavy analysis and the team is still trying to figure out where to take the Dodge brand from hereon out.

The plan: go “back to basics,” with particular emphasis on affordable and essential vehicles. But in a manner that surprises everyone and exceeds expectations.

Interior of a yellow convertible sports car with black fabric seats, manual gear shift, and silver dashboard accents. — Do you think a Miata competitor from Dodge would fly?

“I think the biggest thing that we need to start doing is challenging the industry on what the expectations are from an entry level base vehicle,” McAlear continued said. “And I don’t mean that from the word ‘cheap’ or ‘less.’ I mean that from that of back to the basics.”

Although such statements and wordage are rather ambiguous, it sounds like McAlear wants to revive the days when Dodge found success selling simple, honest automobiles. And, at the basis of that sort of simplicity and honesty is affordability. The challenge of that mission however, is making it all fun and interesting.

About the Author: Chris Chin is an associate editor at Gear Patrol, covering cars, trucks and anything else with four wheels. He has over a decade of experience writing news and reviews but considers himself an enthusiast first, with a passion for classics and European cars. His daily driver is a 1987 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL with nearly 250,000 miles (87,000 are his).

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