The return of the Honda Prelude nameplate has been all but confirmed, with the Japanese automaker unveiling a fresh concept bearing this storied badge…

Yes, the Honda Prelude is back – well, sort of. Some 22 years after this storied nameplate was put out to pasture, the Japanese automaker has whipped the wraps off a sleekly styled coupé concept bearing the badge. And it looks very likely to reach production.

In a surprise reveal right at the end of Honda President Toshihiro Mibe’s media address at the Japan Mobility Show 2023 in Tokyo, the company introduced what it called the “Prelude Concept”.

The Prelude Concept employs an electric powertrain.

What do we know about this show car? Well, though details are still thin on the ground, Honda has confirmed the concept employs an electrified powertrain of some sort, which furthermore suggests any upcoming production version will, too. That said, powertrain specifications have yet to be released.

Describing it as a “specialty sports model”, Mibe-san said the concept was “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”.

Honda’s president says the firm is “diligently progressing with development”.

“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 realise, we are diligently progressing with development, so please keep your expectations high for this model,” the Honda boss added.

As a reminder, the Prelude was built between 1978 and 2001, with 5 generations on offer. Though the 1st-generation version wasn’t officially sold in South Africa, our market did receive the next 4. All were 2-door coupés using the front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout. Globally, the 2nd-gen model was by far the best-selling Prelude, with sales dropping off drastically over the following generations.

The “Prelude” script used here resembles the 4th-gen model’s badge.

We’ll keep our eyes peeled for more official information from Honda on the rebirth of the Prelude nameplate…

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