Difficult to believe, but it has already been almost two years that Honda has raised the name Prelude with a concept because presented at the Tokyo Auto Salon 2023. The sixth generation model then turned into a near-production prototype for the Goodwood speed festival this year, and it is now about to be marketed in Japan. The launch on the Japanese market is scheduled for September, before the arrival of the sports coupe at European dealerships next year.
To promote the rebirth of its brand, Honda has set up a “teaser page”, on which we came across an interesting declaration. Apparently, the reason for building a coupe “was to discover the latent demand for an ideal sports car”. The development manager, Tomoyuki Yamagami, says that the project was not launched in order to revive the name Prelude. However, the company finally chose to dust off a name that has been sleeping since 2001.
Photo: Honda
As for what Honda intends by “ideal sports car”, we believe that it is a mixture of performance and practicality. The prelude borrows from the Civic Type R elements such as the double -axis front suspension and the Brembo front brakes, while offering foldable rear seats, storage under the floor and a tailgate. Unlike the CTR and Acura Integra, higher -end, it will be a hybrid car, which should make it possible to improve fuel consumption.
Honda insists that it is much more than a simple hybrid civic modified in coupe, with “tires of large diameter and an optimized wheelbase”. Its design is inspired by a glider and is supposed to foreshadow other powerful electrified models. We have traveled the website dedicated to the Prelude to capture all the images we were able to find, showing the hybrid coupe from all angles.
It gives the impression of being more than a simple three -door civic with an inclined roof line, but the photos of the interior show a limited space for the rear passengers. The more pleasant two-color theme that does not extend to the rear seats is an obvious sign of cost reduction, but we are in 2025, so perhaps we should not be too surprised that the bench is entirely black.
Photo: Honda
It will be necessary to wait until September to know all the technical characteristics. However, do not expect a manual gearbox. The new Prelude will only have two pedals and a S+ Shift mode with palettes to simulate speed changes, probably similar to the N Grin Shift of Hyundai but with a real petrol engine. It is not a CVT, which allows you to hope for engaging driving even without a gear lever and with only a front traction.
Regarding power, Civic Hybrid develops 200 horses and a 315 Newton-Mères torque thanks to its 2.0-liter atmospheric petrol engine associated with two electric motors. We can hope that the Prelude will improve these figures thanks to its more sporty positioning. Honda should also request an additional cost, so the price will probably exceed that of the Civic Hybrid Hatchback 2026, which starts at $ 31,645 (27,320 euros) before the options.
The new prelude will certainly not be a machine focused on the track. Honda has already said that “it will not be the sportiest and fastest car that will be launched on the circuits”. It is marketed as a real world model, with the same design and the same specifications in all the world markets where the car will be sold.
Reports from Japan already indicate that derivatives of the type S and even the R type are in preparation. But even if this is the case, do not expect to see them soon. The standard prelude has not even been launched yet, and it would not be wise to diversify the range so early in the product life cycle.