Electric doesn’t have to be dull – At least, that’s what this Honda Prelude concept aims to show.
The 2023 Japan Mobility Show is in full swing, and Honda arrived with a sporty electric concept. This isn’t a follow-up to the NSX, but this coupe does revive an iconic name within the brand’s heritage: Prelude.
During its debut, Honda President Toshihiro Mibe spoke of the company’s commitment to making sporty vehicles. “In order to offer the ‘joy of driving’ only Honda can realize, we are diligently progressing with development, so please keep your expectations high for this model.” Those are promising words indeed, as we get our first look at what could be a rakish and fun follow-up to the old Civic and Accord Coupes of the world, as well as the old Prelude, obviously.
For reference, Honda dropped the fifth-generation Prelude (using the “BB” chassis code) in 2001.
Unfortunately, while it seems Honda is keen to build it, we don’t have any technical specs just yet. Apart from being electric, it’s unclear whether this Prelude will bring a single-motor layout, although that’s fairly likely based on the exterior design. With a longer hood and front overhang, it’s likely the automaker aims to keep its front-wheel drive performance ethos alive (like the long-running Si and Type R models). That said, an electric platform does offer some flexibility to go in a different direction if they wanted to launch a hot version — it will just depend on packaging constraints.
“This model will become the prelude for our future models,” said Mibe, “which will inherit the ‘joy of driving’ into the full-fledged electrified future and embody Honda’s unalterable sports mindset.” Honda typically shows off “concepts” as near-production-ready models, so we wouldn’t be too surprised to see this actually hit dealers sometime in the next couple years. Per the company’s previous EV-related announcements, it should launch several new electric models within the next 2-3 years, of which this may well be one.
Check out more of the Prelude Concept in-person below, as Roman and Tommy take a closer look:
