No one was expecting Honda to revive the Prelude for the Japan Mobility Show held in Tokyo from late October until early November. Originally believed to be fully electric, the sports coupe turned out to be a hybrid, following a clarification made by a company spokesperson. We haven’t heard much since the concept was introduced, but Honda’s chief engineer Tomoyuki Yamagami has shared some juicy tidbits with the Australian magazine CarsGuide.
He referred to the car shown at the JMS 2023 as being a prototype, although the official name was Prelude Concept. It’s a strong indication we are dealing with more than just a concept that we’ll never see again as is usually the case with vehicles unveiled at auto shows. In fact, Yamagami revealed the car is currently being developed and that the target is to have it on sale “sometime in the mid-2020s.”
He went on to mention it’ll be a global model since it’s being engineered for both left- and right-hand drive markets. Yamagami refused to go into details about the mysterious hybrid powertrain, but he did suggest it won’t be a hardcore track-focused sports car: “This isn’t going to be the sportiest, zippiest car that’s going to be tossed into the circuits.”
He explained the subsequent production model will be a “prelude for all of the electric vehicles that Honda is going to be launching.” He confirmed a practical four-seat layout, although judging by the heavily sloped roofline, it’s likely going to be more along the lines of a 2+2.
The decision to bring back a beloved moniker follows in the footsteps of Acura’s revival of the Integra in 2022 as a posh Civic Type R. Although currently dormant, the NSX has already been confirmed for a return with a fully electric third generation, with the Performance Electric Vision Concept possibly serving as a preview.
