TOKYO MOTOR SHOW: Honda Prelude resurrected

The much-loved Honda Prelude sports car is back – but not as you know it.

Set to reach showrooms globally in the latter part of this decade, the near-production Honda Prelude concept unveiled at the Tokyo Mobility Show today has a strong whiff of Toyota GR 86 and Subaru BRZ about it – albeit with an electrified powertrain.

Few details of the reborn electric Prelude have been confirmed at this stage, but Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe confirmed a sports car based on the concept will reach production.

The Prelude name hasn’t been officially confirmed for the production car, but given how much provenance the nameplate has – sold between 1978 and 2001, spanning five generations – it’s almost certain to wear the Prelude badges on its sleek rump.

“We are diligently progressing with development,” said Mibe. “Please keep your expectations high for this model.”

The two-door sports car concept has conventional dimensions and its long bonnet suggests it may in fact hide a hybrid powertrain, although Honda’s last compact hybrid sports car, the CR-Z, was a flop.

The Prelude is unlikely to offer Honda NSX-like performance, following Honda’s declaration in 2022 it was working on a pair of new electric sports cars widely expected to be a reborn Prelude – which we see here – and a hero model to replace the recent mid-engine V6 hybrid NSX.

Whether it turns out to be a Toyota GR 86 or Supra rival, the new Prelude should do wonders for the Honda brand in Australia and further afield.

“Honda has always been committed to creating sporty vehicles,” said Mibe.

“And the word ‘prelude’ means an ‘introductory or preceding performance’. This model will become the prelude for our future models which will inherit the ‘joy of driving’ into the full-fledged electrified future and embody Honda’s unalterable sports mindset.

“The Prelude concept is a specialty sports model that will offer exhilarating experience that makes you want to keep going forever and extraordinary excitement you never felt before.”