Honda brings back Prelude as a hybrid sports coupe

Honda's newest model for 2026 wears one of the company's oldest model names: Prelude.

"The Honda Prelude debuted in the late 1970s, so what you see here is the sixth generation and the latest iteration of the Honda Prelude," said Alvin Tsang with American Honda public relations.

That first one appeared as a 1979 model, when Honda was just hitting its stride as an auto brand. The Prelude joined the Civic and Accord in showrooms, at a time when things like SUVs were still well off in the future for Honda.

The Prelude proved to be popular, with Honda selling 171,000 of them between 1979 and 1982. Four more generations came along, before the Prelude quietly disappeared in 2001.

Twenty-five years later the Prelude is back. It's a two-door coupe, as always, but this time it's both green and mean under its stylish skin.

"Pairing the award-winning powertrain out of the Civic Hybrid along with the chassis dynamics from the Honda Civic Type R, which is a very track-focused vehicle," Tsang explained.

Basically, a sporty car that's easy on gas, like the original. Not super-sporty with only 200 horsepower, but keep in mind, that admittedly tiny 1979 Prelude had only 72 horsepower.

As for handling, the suspension from the Civic Type-R gives it great dynamics, once the hybrid engine and motor get the car up to speed. Practicality comes in a decent size cargo area under the hatch, and there are two rear seats, just barely. More of a "2+2" in automotive parlance.

Honda is marketing the reborn Prelude as a premium sport coupe in just one configuration for an MSRP of $43,650 including destination. Pretty much anything a driver would need comes standard, and there are no options. Combined EPA fuel economy is 44 mpg.

Over the years, Honda has used the Prelude model to show off emerging technologies, and this new one follows suit.

Generation number three (1988-1991) introduced the option of four-wheel steering, a first for a production car. The next generation of Prelude (1992-1996) continued four-wheel steering as an optional feature, but achieved electronically instead of mechanically. That generation also saw the adoption of Honda's VTEC valvetrain system.

What does generation six bring to the technology party? Well, a new way to make the driving experience more engaging compared to most hybrids. Press the S+ Shift button on the console, and software simulates a quick-shifting eight-speed automatic transmission. It really works, whether you use the paddle shifters behind the steering wheel or not.

Nevertheless, this is not a truly high-performance car, just a very sporty one. And as Honda moves further into the hybrid power arena, the Prelude makes for an additional offering.

"There's the Accord Hybrid, the Civic Hybrid, the CR-V Hybrid," Tsang noted. "Now on top we've got the Prelude Hybrid."

You may not have seen one on the road yet. Honda's only planning on selling about 4,000 per year. But when you do see it, and that Prelude name, it may strike you as something you remember from Honda's history.