Set to be imported from the “mid-2020s”, the Civic-based two-door hybrid will be Honda’s sixth UK model line and the first Prelude sold here since the fifth-generation car was withdrawn from sale in 2001.
According to the firm’s CEO, Toshihiro Mibe, the new Prelude is intended to “embody Honda’s unalterable sports mindset” with a driver-focused chassis and engine set-up. The firm suggests it will serve as a halo product for its line-up of electrified models – currently mostly consisting of SUVs – and a showcase for its hybrid powertrain technology.
Tomoyuki Yamagami, project lead for the Prelude, told Autocar: “The trend in the movement of electric and hybrid vehicles is more in the direction of SUVs. We believe the practicality needs of the customer are important. However, we as Honda have always sought the joy of driving. And we believe personal mobility cannot be without the joy of operating, the joy of driving itself. That’s our core DNA.
“So particularly now that everybody is seeking efficient power units, it is time for Honda to show its ability to combine high efficiency with something that is fun to drive with dynamic cars – even though we are talking about low-carbon trends in the world.”
Honda has been tight-lipped about the Prelude’s precise mechanical make-up since revealing the concept last year, but it is understood to use a variation of the Civic’s e:HEV petrol-hybrid system, which combines a 2.0-litre petrol engine with a pair of electric motors. In the five-door car, it’s good for 181bhp and an official 56.5mpg.
