Honda hopes its new hybrid Prelude will buck the SUV trend and start a love affair with small sports cars again. The Prelude was initially unveiled at the 2023 Tokyo Mobility Show but now the development team has shown off a production-ready version.
The last Prelude, the fifth-generation car, was withdrawn from sale in 2001. The next generation will be one of the few front-drive sports coupes available when it goes on sale next year.
New Prelude will compete with the likes of GR86. In the case of the Honda the firm hopes it will reignite a new era of the small, efficient, engaging hybrid sports car. Honda wants it to be a ‘halo’ model for its electrified products. Perhaps it will also lead to a revival of the open-top S2000.
Chief engineer and project leader, Tomoyuki Yamagami, told UK motoring correspondents that this car is akin to a glider. That is, they designed it to glide for as long as possible. When not gliding, the focus is agility and high performance. In other words, a mix of joyful driving and fuel efficiency.
To behold it has a wide stance up front, and sleek lighting units for a fast first impression. A small blue strip above the splitter hints at its electified powertrain. There are suggestions of the second-gen Honda NSX in the flanks. The rear end includes Prelude design features from past generations.
While Honda is staying mum on the specifics, expect it to utilise the e:HEV hybrid system from the current Honda Civic. That comprises a direct-injection naturally aspirated 2.0L powertrain matched to two electric motors and a variable transmission.
In Civic, peak power and torque figures are 135kW and 232Nm of torque, giving it a 0-100 time of 7.8sec. Expect it to be a bit more potent in the production Prelude, and to sound more interesting. The vehicle itself is likely to be more lightweight than the five-door hatch. This will be the only powertrain for the time being. A turbocharged Type R has not been ruled out but is also not in immediate future plans.
The Honda Prelude will also use lots of the Civic’s underlying chassis architecture. Therefore, it will draw from the Honda Civic Type R’s development processes. However, Prelude will be softer, with more of a dual-purpose intent. Suspension is therefore the same, only with a softer final set-up. It will probably feature a lightweight aluminium subframe together with a wide rear track and double-wishbone front suspension. Wheels are 20-inch items finished with 235-section rubber.
No details are available regarding the interior but it is expected to be minimalist. Think driver-focused and with seating for four, albeit tight in the rear. For the sake of simplicity, Prelude will probably have physical knobs and buttons for the air con and radio. We expect a metal honeycomb mesh in place of regular air-con vents like in CR-V, and a compact infotainment touchscreen and a 10-in digital instrument cluster.
It’s not just Honda reliving the past, with rumours that Toyota is working on a Celica coupe and MR2 sports car.
As to Prelude price it is expected to sell in the £35,000 to £40,000 price range when it launches in the UK next year. While this is designed to appeal to younger buyers, Honda is aiming it at those with young families as well.
