Honda Prelude Returns to America, Gets Hybrid Powertrain

Honda is building a sports car once again. The Japanese car company has just confirmed that it will be building a new generation of the Prelude and that the car will be coming to the U.S.

It’s the first Honda coupe in 5 years, and it marks the return of a nameplate that we have been missing for more than 20.

Production Car Should Look Just Like 2023 Concept

When Honda revealed its affordable-looking Prelude Concept car at the Tokyo auto show last year, it was the most exciting new car from Honda in years. After it dropped the Civic Coupe in 2020, Honda’s SUV-heavy lineup wasn’t exactly appealing to enthusiasts in the way that it had been since the 1978 launch of the original Prelude.

But all is forgiven now that the Honda Prelude Concept is coming to life and coming to American dealers.

The car will be a hybrid, using Honda’s latest two-motor hybrid system, and Honda has some tricks in store to make sure it’s a driver’s car just like the Preludes that, well, preluded it.

Yes, the Sports Coupe Is a Hybrid

Not everyone will be thrilled the new Prelude is a hybrid, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise. Not just because electrification is happening to nearly every new vehicle, but because the Prelude has always been on the leading edge of tech for the car company. Features like four-wheel steering and a torque-vectoring front differential made their debuts here, among others.

Honda’s two-motor hybrid system, as used in cars like the CR-V, Accord, and Civic, doesn’t use a transmission. Instead, it has one motor driven by the engine to charge the battery and a second to power the wheels. A clutch lets the engine drive the tires directly in some highway conditions.

A feature Honda calls Linear Shift Control on its other hybrids makes them act more like cars with conventional automatics. It delivers fake shifts and the feeling of the car revving even when it isn’t. The Prelude will get Honda S+ Shift, which Honda says is an advancement of that.

It didn’t elaborate, but something like the fake engine noises and shifts of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N EV would be tons of fun on a car like this.

Prelude Could Outrun Civic Si

In the Civic Hybrid, the two-motor system makes 212 horsepower and 232 pound-feet of torque. That’s enough to make it quicker than the gas-only Civic Si, which bodes well for the Prelude being a fun compact sports car.

The Prelude’s styling is a bit strange for Honda. It’s very Toyota Prius-like, thanks to the front LED light bar and the glass trim on the rear. But it’s better looking than even the latest Prius, and, of course, it’s a two-door coupe.

Honda isn’t saying much about the new model, but it did show the concept with Brembo brakes and some other details that promise to make it sporty.

Reborn Front-Drive Coupe in a World of Its Own

The Prelude will be in a segment of virtually one when it arrives at U.S. dealers in late 2025. The front-drive sporty coupe used to be a major segment with more than a dozen entries. Today, there will be this car and almost nothing else. The Fiat 500e and Mini Cooper 2-Door are the closest, though both are hatchbacks.

If Honda can bring this car to market for around $30,000, which is close to the starting price of the Civic Hatchback hybrid, it should have a winner — a sports coupe for the price of a Toyota GR86 and well under something like the $43,000 Nissan Z.

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