It could be a prelude to a dream come true for compact performance car fans.
Honda has revived the Prelude name for a coupe unveiled at the Japan Mobility Show.
The white two-door is technically a concept, but looks very close to production.
It was the “one more thing” during CEO Toshihiro Mibe’s presentation at the event, which was formerly known as the Tokyo Motor Show, and no technical details were released, but he did suggest it will have a hybrid or electric powertrain.
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“Honda has always been committed to creating sporty vehicles. And the word ‘prelude’ means an ‘introductory or preceding performance,’ Mibe said, according to a translation provided by Honda.
“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.
Honda recently trademarked the Prelude name in the United States, and it’s possible that a production version would be based on the 2025 Civic Hybrid that was announced last week, which will be built in Indiana and Canada.
Given its sporty nature, it could also be related to the Acura Integra that is manufactured in Ohio, although that is not currently offered with a hybrid powertrain.
UPDATE: A Honda spokesman has confirmed that the Prelude concept is a hybrid
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Much like the Prelude, Acura brought the Integra name out of hibernation in 2022 with great success. The company has sold over 25,000 examples of the sporty four-door lift back already this year.
There was another blast from the past at the show from Mazda, which debuted a concept that leans on its own heritage.
The Iconic SP is an RX-7-inspired coupe that’s powered by a rotary engine and has a modern take on pop-up headlights. The last time a car was offered in the U.S. with pop-ups was 2004, when the fifth-generation Chevrolet Corvette and Lotus Esprit ended their production runs.
It’s swan-like doors are reminiscent of Aston Martin’s coupes and the powertrain features a two-rotor, hybridized design that is rated at 365 hp and can run on various fuels, including carbon-neutral synthetics and hydrogen.
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Mazda did not say if or when something like it would go into production, but indicated that the rotary engine would be coming back to its lineup in a big way.