Honda has presented an electric Prelude concept at the 2023 Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo. It’s a prototype not to far from production-ready, from the looks of it. Meaning that eventually, we shall see return to market the name that Honda made disappear over twenty years ago.
Like we’ve seen from Mazda and Subaru at the Tokyo show, this prototype reflects Honda's commitment to finding a place for electric sports cars in its future range.
CEO Toshihiro Mibe emphasized that the name Prelude means “introductory or preceding performance”. This model is a precursor to future vehicles that will embrace Honda's sporting spirit in the age of electrification. According to Toshihiro Mibe, Honda's heritage in creating sporty vehicles remains intact, and the Prelude concept aims to deliver unrivalled driving pleasure.
Design-wise, it's some distance from the Prelude of old, unsurprisingly. The new concept features a contemporary two-door coupe design, with lines that resemble other smaller sport coupes alive and kicking today.
There’s a radical change under hood as well, obviously. The original Prelude was known for its 200 hp in-line 4-cylinder engine and front-wheel drive configuration, and here, we're talking about a purely electric system.
At a time when the automotive world is rapidly moving towards electric power, Honda's new prototype aims to reassure sporty driving enthusiasts.
Naturally, this is not a production model, even if it looks far more developed than a mere design study. Honda has provided no details of performance figures, or even a date for the introduction of a future production model.
