Honda launches electric sports car: Prelude returns to Europe as hybrid

Japanese car and motorcycle manufacturer Honda will celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2023 with a new toy for sports car fans. Honda’s models are primarily aimed at the mass market, but the Japanese don’t want to lose sight of real car enthusiasts either.

It seems like Prelude is already close to being made into a series.

Ahead of the trade fair presentation in Tokyo in the fall of 2023, the Prelude Concept, unveiled as the Honda Specialty Sports Concept, offered the first glimpse of Honda’s next sports car. It was a two-door car with a long front bonnet and a steeply sloping roofline. As for the seating concept, we can only speculate. It is probably a two-seater with up to two emergency seats at the rear. At the rear there is a small carbon spoiler, and the sides are strongly drawn in over the sills. The front is dominated by slit-shaped LED headlights. An LED light strip runs through the nose of the Prelude. The large radiator vent has a diamond-patterned bar. The lower body edges, such as the exterior mirror housings and aero attachments, are made of visible carbon fiber. The door handles are recessed into the doors. The wheel arches have 20-inch light alloy rims, behind which shine red Brembo brake calipers.

Honda always talked about “electric sports cars” in its presentations, so everyone around the world assumed an electric model. As part of the Prelude presentation, the automaker revealed that the Prelude will be offered as a hybrid model that combines an internal combustion engine with an electric motor. That too is “electrified”. In any case, the Prelude should offer “driving pleasure” and meet the high demands of a sports car. The new Honda Prelude was previously only intended for the Japanese market. With the European premiere of the Prelude Concept at the Goodwood Festival of Speed ​​in July 2024, the Japanese confirmed that the Prelude will be part of Honda’s fully electric mass-market models in Europe.

Two-seater with electric drive

There have been various rumors about an electric sports car from Honda for quite some time before the Japan Mobility Show. Tom Gardner, vice president of Honda Europe, told British magazine Autocar how pleased the Japanese automaker is with the many positive responses to the new Civic Type R. Power and performance are key parts of the Honda brand. He then mentioned the upcoming brand anniversary as a companion to the Honda S2000 that Japan introduced to coincide with the brand’s 50th anniversary. However, Gardner did not want to commit to a specific new model.

A new edition of the S2000 has already been rumored several times. In 2017, then Honda CEO Takahiro Hachigo expressed great interest in the possibility of relaunching the legendary 1999 roadster. If there is enough demand, Honda could develop such a model soon. However, nothing has happened in this direction so far.

rear From NSXMust be the only new one, last sailed under the label of Honda’s noble subsidiary Acura. Civic Type R Fly the sports flag high for the Japanese, who already had it in their mid-engine sports car, the NSX. Electric successor That’s what the company promises. However, the model Gardner suggested could go in a different direction, again with an electric drive. The new sports car could help move the Type R label into the electric age.

Further indications of an electric sports car were already seen in April 2023, when Japan presented its roadmap for the future of electric vehicles. A teaser image showed two electric athletes. A second model with the classic “mid-engine” layout (NSX) appeared under a tarpaulin, but with a longer front hood and a passenger compartment set far back. There are connections here with the S2000 mentioned above.

However, an alternative was brought to attention by a patent application to the United States Patent Office on August 13, 2023. Japan has once again protected the model name “Prelude” for use on the car. From 1978 to 2002, Japan launched five generations of the Prelude, always as a two-door coupe with a sporty design. Luggage that appears to be under the tarpaulin as well.