The new Honda Prelude is here – and it's not electric

That’s right, Honda is bringing this petrol-powered coupe to production

Jonathan Bryce

by Jonathan Bryce

8 July 2024

Follow @jonny_bryce_

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Honda will bring its new Prelude sports coupé to production, targeting younger customers with an elegant, swooping design, acute attention to driving dynamics and an interior that’s said to be "the opposite of distracting".
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Set to be imported from the “mid-2020s”, the Civic-based two-door hybrid will be a big gamble for Honda, and the first Prelude since the fifth-generation car went off sale in 2001. It will also be the only front-driven coupé on sale, the likes of the Volkswagen Scirocco, Hyundai Veloster and Opel/Vauxhall Astra GTC having been retired several years ago and the Audi TT now out of production.
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According to the firm's CEO Toshihiro Mibe, it is intended to “embody Honda’s unalterable sports mindset” with a driver-focused chassis and engine set-up. The firm suggests it will serve as a halo product for its line-up of electrified models – currently mostly comprised of SUVs – and a showcase of its hybrid powertrain technology.
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Tomoyuki Yamagami, project lead for the Prelude, told Autocar: “The trend in the movement of electric and hybrid vehicles is more in the direction of SUVs. We believe the practicality needs of the customer are important, however, we as Honda have always sought the joy of driving. And we believe personal mobility cannot be without the joy of operating, the joy of driving itself - that's our core DNA.”
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"So particularly now that everybody is seeking for efficient power units, it is time for Honda to show its ability to combine high efficiency with something that is fun to drive with dynamic cars - even though we are talking about low carbon trends in the world."
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Honda has been tight-lipped about the Prelude’s precise mechanical make-up since revealing the concept last year, but it is understood to use a variation of the Civic’s e:HEV petrol-hybrid system, which combines a 2.0-litre petrol engine with a pair of electric motors. In the five-door car it’s good for 181bhp.
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It remains to be seen, though, if Honda will ramp up the output for the more overtly sporting Prelude.
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Otherwise, it’s expected to use largely the same chassis as the Civic, with a lightweight aluminium subframe together with a wide rear track and double wishbone front suspension.
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Yamagami said that the Prelude’s development programme focused on it being "built around the driver", with particular attention paid to not only its controllability or driveability, but the "emotional aspect of the engine".
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"One of the emotional aspects of an engine is its sound, its vibration. It's the linearity, the progressivity, all these kinds of aspects which have an impact on your sensation. This is something that we wanted to really express within the application of the hardware, but also in the settings." He conceded, though, that the Prelude is "not simply a car to be used on a circuit."
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He envisions the Prelude appealing particularly to younger drivers than Honda’s core demographic, which has historically been dominated by older buyers.
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The Prelude’s striking exterior design is said to be key to its appeal, with Yamagami citing the clean, aero-honed surfaces of gliders as a key influence. He said: "It's a very mature design. There are not so many different lines and angles and surface textures, but it's a very round and balanced exterior."
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It has a long, low-slung bonnet, headlights which are integrated into the bonnet-width grille and pushed to the corners to emphasise width, and a window line for better visibility. It sits on bespoke 20in alloys, and bespoke details like the small blue strip on the leading edge of the front bumper nod to its electrified powertrain.
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The interior has not been revealed yet, but is said to mirror the minimalist exterior with an overall design that focuses on simplicity. Yamagami said: "Try to imagine, if Honda makes a car which emphasises the joy of driving, what operational equipment is necessary? That's what we've actually transferred into the interior design, it's not just about the dynamics or the sense of unity with the car."
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Its design will no doubt be heavily influenced by that of the Civic, which uses physical knobs and buttons for the air conditioning and radio, metal honeycomb mesh in place of regular air conditioning vents and an infotainment touchscreen up to 9.0in in size, together with a 10in digital display in front of the driver.
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