Honda is constructing a sports activities automobile as soon as once more. The Japanese automobile firm has simply confirmed that it will likely be constructing a brand new era of the Prelude and that the automobile will likely be coming to the U.S.
It’s the primary Honda coupe in 5 years, and it marks the return of a nameplate that we’ve got been lacking for greater than 20.
Manufacturing Automobile Ought to Look Simply Like 2023 Idea
When Honda revealed its affordable-looking Prelude Idea automobile on the Tokyo auto present final 12 months, it was probably the most thrilling new automobile from Honda in years. After it dropped the Civic Coupe in 2020, Honda’s SUV-heavy lineup wasn’t precisely interesting to lovers in the way in which that it had been because the 1978 launch of the unique Prelude.
However all is forgiven now that the Honda Prelude Idea is coming to life and coming to American sellers.
The automobile will likely be a hybrid, utilizing Honda’s newest two-motor hybrid system, and Honda has some methods in retailer to ensure it’s a driver’s automobile identical to the Preludes that, properly, preluded it.
Sure, the Sports activities Coupe Is a Hybrid
Not everybody will likely be thrilled the brand new Prelude is a hybrid, however it shouldn’t come as a shock. Not simply because electrification is occurring to just about each new automobile, however as a result of the Prelude has at all times been on the forefront of tech for the automobile firm. Options like four-wheel steering and a torque-vectoring entrance differential made their debuts right here, amongst others.
Honda’s two-motor hybrid system, as utilized in vehicles just like the CR-V, Accord, and Civic, doesn’t use a transmission. As a substitute, it has one motor pushed by the engine to cost the battery and a second to energy the wheels. A clutch lets the engine drive the tires straight in some freeway situations.
A characteristic Honda calls Linear Shift Management on its different hybrids makes them act extra like vehicles with standard automatics. It delivers faux shifts and the sensation of the automobile revving even when it isn’t. The Prelude will get Honda S+ Shift, which Honda says is an development of that.
It didn’t elaborate, however one thing just like the faux engine noises and shifts of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N EV can be tons of enjoyable on a automobile like this.
Prelude Might Outrun Civic Si
Within the Civic Hybrid, the two-motor system makes 212 horsepower and 232 pound-feet of torque. That’s sufficient to make it faster than the gas-only Civic Si, which bodes properly for the Prelude being a enjoyable compact sports activities automobile.
The Prelude’s styling is a bit unusual for Honda. It’s very Toyota Prius-like, because of the entrance LED gentle bar and the glass trim on the rear. But it surely’s higher wanting than even the most recent Prius, and, in fact, it’s a two-door coupe.
Honda isn’t saying a lot concerning the new mannequin, however it did present the idea with Brembo brakes and another particulars that promise to make it sporty.
Reborn Entrance-Drive Coupe in a World of Its Personal
The Prelude will likely be in a phase of nearly one when it arrives at U.S. sellers in late 2025. The front-drive sporty coupe was once a serious phase with greater than a dozen entries. In the present day, there will likely be this automobile and virtually nothing else. The Fiat 500e and Mini Cooper 2-Door are the closest, although each are hatchbacks.
If Honda can deliver this automobile to market for round $30,000, which is near the beginning value of the Civic Hatchback hybrid, it ought to have a winner — a sports activities coupe for the value of a Toyota GR86 and properly beneath one thing just like the $43,000 Nissan Z.