Honda Prelude Concept

[ProjectWHaT]

Honda Prelude Concept

Original livestream




They literally showed the car for like 3 seconds. The stream is all in Japanese so I have no idea what he said. We'll have to wait for them to release a press kit

Honda JAPAN MOBILITY SHOW 2023 | Honda Booth Map | PRELUDE Concept｜Honda Global Corporate Website

This is the original article page of Honda JAPAN MOBILITY SHOW 2023 of ”PRELUDE Concept”.

global.honda

The PRELUDE Concept expresses Honda’s determination to always continue creating products that make people want to enjoy driving and pursue driving pleasure even while electrifying its products to achieve carbon neutrality and the popularization of automated driving technology. The joy of driving and distinctive individuality of this model will enable people to transcend their everyday life.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

They really borrowed a lot from the Prius here...

 

[ProjectWHaT]

Yeah, the overall shape reminds me of the last gen Civic Coupe, but a lot of the details like the lights are very Prius-esque.



English transcription of the livestream. It seems like they really said nothing about the car other than it's electric

Summary of Honda CEO Speech at the JAPAN MOBILITY SHOW 2023

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Director, President and Representative, Toshihiro Mibe held a press conference today, at the JAPAN MOBILITY SHOW 2023.

hondanews.com

Prelude Concept will take the "joy of driving" into the full-fledged electrified future

I have introduced some of the mobility products that embody Honda's dreams, which represent the Honda of today and the future. But we know our customers are expecting one more thing from Honda, and that is sports models.

At the automobile electrification business briefing we held last year, I talked about future sports models. Today, to conclude my presentation, I would like to show you one of them – the specialty sports model.

Everyone, this is the Prelude Concept.

Honda has always been committed to creating sporty vehicles. And the word "prelude" means an "introductory or preceding performance." This model will become the prelude for our future models which will inherit the "joy of driving" into the full-fledged electrified future and embody Honda's unalterable sports mindset. The Prelude Concept is a specialty sports model that will offer exhilarating experience that makes you want to keep going forever and extraordinary excitement you never felt before.

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.

 

[INEEDNAWZZZ]

Cue the internet whining about it not looking exactly like a 4th or 5th gen and it not having a H22.

 

[05XR8]

Nearly look like the Copen I posted in the Kei car thread.

 

[TheCracker]

The PRELUDE Concept expresses Honda’s determination to always continue creating products that make people want to enjoy driving and pursue driving pleasure even while electrifying its products to achieve carbon neutrality and the popularization of automated driving technology. The joy of driving and distinctive individuality of this model will enable people to transcend their everyday life.

People don't buy coupe versions of saloons/sedans to 'transcend their everyday life' they buy them to commute to work through heavy slow moving traffic, day in, day out.

 

[GTboyz]

I... Kinda like it.

I mean I can look at it and not feel disgusted lol

 

[LumpiestFish]

The general body shape is quite nice, the front end is a miss though. Very similar to the Prius but without the cleanliness.

 

[lbpomg95]

Other than whatever's going on with the front headlights (or just headlight?), I think it's a very good looking car. It's a heck of a lot more interesting than the average SUV everyone's tripping over themselves to buy anyway.

 

[Keef]

It's fine. Objectively it's a sleek, nice looking car. But in terms of Preludes, this thing looks too cab-forward and obviously front-wheel drive to be a Prelude. The older cars had more classic coupe proportions which actually confused quite a few people into thinking they were rear-drive.

This thing is nice but I wouldn't buy one I don't think. It looks more like an Accord Coupe than anything. The Accord Coupe and CL have always had different proportions than the Prelude, clearly more front-drive and less sports coupey.

I think the Integra is relatively faithful to the nameplate - even if people tend to forget the sedan existed - but this thing as a Prelude is a bit off. I support bringing back legendary names but several companies have basically forgotten what the essence of their nameplates were.

 

[GTvsForza]

As a fellow Prelude lover, I approve 👌

 

[05XR8]

I’d name it the Insight Coupe.

 

[Veinz]

It's shape kind of reminds me of a Peugeot RCZ, except more sterile. No thanks Honda.

 

[Rossell2]

Honda are making their models a bit less fussy looking these days it would appear. I like it.

 

[Neddo]

i find this cute looking for some reason but not especially pretty. cute designs are rare these days even in small cars

 

[ProjectWHaT]

Good news!

According to Honda's PR people, the Prelude Concept is actually a hybrid rather than a BEV



It's actually hilarious, I've seen almost all news articles adding this update after Honda PR had to message them all to clarify that it's a hybrid. Would be nice if they had specifically said that in their original press releases

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

So probably the same drivetrain as the Accord/CR-V Hybrid. It's fantastic for those cars with effortless sub-40mph torque, but it's not exactly sporty/exciting. The available power is definitely lacking above 60mph. Maybe if the Prelude is in the 3200lb or less range it could be sporty feeling?

 

[05XR8]

I’d name it the Insight Coupe.

See?

 

[MSZ]

It's fine. Objectively it's a sleek, nice looking car. But in terms of Preludes, this thing looks too cab-forward and obviously front-wheel drive to be a Prelude. The older cars had more classic coupe proportions which actually confused quite a few people into thinking they were rear-drive.

View attachment 1298032

This thing is nice but I wouldn't buy one I don't think. It looks more like an Accord Coupe than anything. The Accord Coupe and CL have always had different proportions than the Prelude, clearly more front-drive and less sports coupey.

View attachment 1298033

I think the Integra is relatively faithful to the nameplate - even if people tend to forget the sedan existed - but this thing as a Prelude is a bit off. I support bringing back legendary names but several companies have basically forgotten what the essence of their nameplates were.

The funny thing is they went through all the troubles to create a fake RWD look on the TLX resulting a very tiny rear seat room, and the ZDX and Prologue have that classic rear drive look thanks to the GM provided EV platforms.

 

[Keef]

Honestly I hate it. It’s somehow even more cab-forward than both a mid-engined car and a car that was marketed specifically for its cab-forward design.

Edit: holy cow I just realized the actual hideously ugly car this thing is modeled after. It even has the same side windows.

 

[ProjectWHaT]

Honda announces the Prelude will go in production in Europe

Honda Prelude returns to UK as hybrid sports coupe | Autocar

Hybrid coupe gets swooping looks, an acute attention to dynamics and an interior designed around the driver’s needs

www.autocar.co.uk

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.

 

[TheCracker]

I more and more like how it looks, but it's not going to set the world on fire with those figures.

 

[05XR8]

I can dig it, but what’s the weight? 1500-1600kg?

 

[ND4SPD]

Honda CRZ vibes all over again.

 

[Jump_Ace]

Honda CRZ vibes all over again.

I'm getting Nissan Z vibes. If only it were an ICE Manual.....


Jerome

 

[Keef]

I'm getting Nissan Z vibes. If only it were an ICE Manual.....


Jerome

I think he’s talking about how the package is right to be a ripping sports car but instead is an underwhelming and complicated hybrid.

 

[Jump_Ace]

I think he’s talking about how the package is right to be a ripping sports car but instead is an underwhelming and complicated hybrid.

I can see that side of the coin too, yes.


Jerome

 

[Veinz]

Prelude confirmed for late 2025 in the US and Canada.
Link

 

[Hlavco]

Looking at the profile view posted earlier in the thread really drives home the thing I most dislike about modern car design: How tiny the greenhouses have become compared to the lower bodywork. The tallest part of the new Prelude's greenhouse takes up the same share of the overall body height as the shortest part of the outgoing model.

I remember reading car magazines as a kid, and they would occasionally share sketches from concept artists. The sketches always had these giant wheels and tiny pillbox windows. I thought it looked bad, but figured it was just a design exercise and nothing more... Now, a couple decades later, all the cars in real life are using those wacky proportions. They don't look that bad on their own, but really look silly once there's a driver inside, chin barely clearing the windowsill.

 

[Veinz]

I can’t really see this selling very well here unless you get some serious bang for your buck.