Once again, the Japan Mobility Show has surprised us with one of the myriad sports car concepts. When Honda announced it would show something sporty in Tokyo, we jumped to thoughts of the NSX and S2000. But Honda has instead revived the Prelude name for its electric concept.
The shape of the Prelude is something of a departure for the model line. Whereas most Prelude models looked almost like rear-drive coupes with long noses, rear-set cabins and short trunks, this one looks closer to the recently departed Civic Coupe or even Accord Coupe. In other words, it looks decidedly front-wheel-drive, particularly with the long front overhang, short dash-to-axle distance and the forward-placed cabin.
It’s still very much a looker, though. The pointy nose, flowing curves and wide fenders all look clearly sporty. And what’s interesting is that it looks surprisingly production ready, even down to the flush door handles.
We wish we had more details about the Prelude Concept’s underpinnings. We’re fairly certain it’s supposed to be electric, considering Honda’s comments regarding the brand’s electric future, but that’s about it. Based on the body proportions, we’re also very willing to bet that front-wheel drive will be the layout for the car. Not only would that be true to the model name, but it also fits Honda’s performance front-wheel-drive wheelhouse.
As for production-readiness, Honda only said this will preview future sporty Honda cars, though didn’t outright say the Prelude Concept has been greenlit. Honda does have a long history of presenting “concept” and “prototype” cars that then arrive at dealers a couple years later hardly changed. And with how realistic this looks, we wouldn’t be surprised to see the same thing happen, here. Plus, Prelude goes along really nicely with Prologue, that electric SUV Honda is about to launch.
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