Honda
Sound the alarms, people: The Honda Prelude is back. Honda shocked the car world last night when it surprise-unveiled the Prelude Concept at the Tokyo Mobility Show. The new Prelude figures to be a two-door battery-electric successor to the long-defunct coupe. Details are scarce, as Honda is still keeping everything but the car’s existence under wraps, but we know it will be electric and that it looks exactly how a modern-day Prelude should look.
Honda President Toshihiro Mibe, pictured above posing with the concept, didn’t reveal specific details about the vehicle, but he did describe it as both a new sports car and a literal prelude for future electric enthusiast models. “In order to offer the ‘joy of driving’ only Honda can realize, we are diligently progressing with development,” Mibe said in his remarks at the show, “so please keep your expectations high for this model.”
Honda
Since Honda didn’t lay out any powertrain, battery, or chassis specs, it’s unclear if the Prelude Concept is designed for GM’s Ultium BEV architecture. While Honda originally made a deal with GM to use Ultium tech for future EVs—and its new Prologue SUV is Ultium-based—it also recently announced that it has canceled plans with the American automaker to jointly develop a new platform for small, affordable electric cars. Bearing that in mind, it seems likely that the Prelude represents an entirely in-house project.
Maddox Kay/The Drive
It looks fantastic, too. The concept’s proportions are nearly perfect, its front end is sharp and low, the headlights are slick and blend with the grille, and it has a fun little spoiler. Most importantly, the Prelude looks like a feasible sports car and not a funky EV design study with zero consideration for real-world use. The coupe appears suitable for production at this stage, like it could go on sale tomorrow. That’s an encouraging sign that Honda is far enough into development that it won’t scrap the project.
Considering that, as well as Mibe’s plea to “keep expectations high,” I’d say it’s safe to be cautiously optimistic that we’ll see an electric Prelude sports car on the road within the next few years. Props to Honda for working to keep small, affordable sports cars alive in the EV age.
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