After revealing a show-stopping concept version last year, Honda has announced it'll launch the 6th generation of its legendary Prelude sports coupe in late 2025.
That nameplate has stood for a fun time behind the wheel for driving enthusiasts since the original Prelude debuted in 1978.
Honda timed this announcement to coincide with its 25th year in the business of making hybrid vehicles. When the Honda Insight arrived on US shores in 1999, it was the first hybrid available in North America, and predated the ultra-popular Toyota Prius by seven months. This silver jubilee is a big deal indeed: the Prelude will also get a hybrid powertrain.
Honda is keen to highlight the next Prelude's mission of advancing the "joy of driving," and the company's mission to "offer a variety of exhilarating products to meet the needs of our customers."
Bringing back the Prelude after a gap of more than 20 years means contending with a storied history and high expectations. This beloved model introduced many a passionate driver to innovative features tailor-made for an engaging experience.
Back in the late 90s, Honda offered the Prelude Type S with Sequential Sportshift, which let you manually upshift and downshift through the automatic transmission. That model also got an Active Torque Transfer System, which controlled how much power was delivered to each wheel in real time – enhancing handling and improving cornering.
We don't have a lot of specs that will give us a better sense of what Honda intends to pack into this reimagined classic coupe. What we do know is that the Prelude concept looks sleek as hell, and will get an all new 'S+ Shift' feature that will "simulate the sound and feel of quick automatic gear changes – helping to deliver the model’s perfect balance of exhilarating driving pleasure."
Autotrader notes this will be a two-motor hybrid similar to the Civic and Accord. The 5th-gen Prelude made 217 hp, and the current model year hybrid Accord dishes out 204 hp – so it's likely that the new coupe will slot in somewhere around those numbers. Car and Driver estimates it'll cost between US$31,000 and $38,000.
While Honda has been making likeable cars lately, it's currently in a tough spot, having cut global production capacity by 10% this year. It's looking to enter a merger with Nissan (and possibly Mitsubishi as well) in a bid to stave off fierce competition from Tesla and Chinese automakers like BYD.
Still, if it plays its cards right, Honda could earn a few wins in 2025, with the handsome Passport and this little beauty.
Here's hoping the Prelude gets a bit more power to contend sportingly against the Mazda MX-5 Miata and Toyota GR86 next year.
Source: Honda
