The sixth generation Honda Prelude – which revives the iconic sports car nameplate after a 24-year absence – is bringing in an interesting mix of buyers in Japan, says the model’s product manager.
Honda Motor Co.’s “big product leader” for Prelude spoke to Australian media via interpreter at the Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo and said the hybrid sports coupe – just launched in the Japanese domestic market – will be bought by Generation X and their children.
“Generation
“We assumed that both ‘Gen X’ and ‘Gen Z’ would be the target owner, but currently Gen
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Honda’s product director also noted that initial feedback from Japanese customers criticized the Prelude’s premium price in the domestic market, although the bespoke nature of the model’s development as well as factors such as materials and exchange rates have prevented Honda from making it cheaper.
Considered a more premium product than models like the Toyota GR86 and Subaru BRZ, the 2026 Honda Prelude starts at 6,179,800 yen (A$61,520) in Japan, which is significantly higher than the base price of the Civic Type R (4,997,300 yen or A$49,748).
For the 2025 model year, Honda Australia increased the price of the local Civic Type R to $79,000 drive-alone, $4,900 more than the previous model year. It’s unclear whether the Prelude will offer similar positioning to the Type R when it arrives Down Under in Japan in 2026.
The Prelude’s Australian launch is confirmed in mid-2026, following the Japanese and North American markets. It will likely be offered in a single variant as the second variant in Japan was a special edition that has now sold out.
Power comes from a version of the hybrid system used in the related Civic e:HEV, combining a 104kW/182Nm 2.0-litre petrol engine and a 135kW/315Nm electric drive motor. Drive is sent exclusively to the front wheels via what Honda calls an “electric continuously variable transmission” – or e-CVT.
Honda claims peak power of 147kW/315Nm, which is a far cry from the 235kW/420Nm of the 2.0-litre turbo engine in the crazy Civic Type R, although the Prelude isn’t touted as an absolute track monster.
Additionally, the e:HEV hybrid system claims a meager fuel consumption of 23.6 km/l (~4.2 l/100 km) on the combined WLTC cycle, with foreign media reporting 0-100 km/h times of just over 7.0 seconds – however Honda UK officially claims a 0-100 km/h time of 8.3 seconds.
What it lacks in outright speed, the Honda Prelude makes up for in commitment. Honda says the new hybrid sports coupe, based on the Civic Type R chassis, offers “agile handling” as well as an S+ shift setting that simulates a conventional transmission with “sharp shift feel.”
Further details on the new Prelude will be announced ahead of the model’s launch around June next year. Stay tuned Daily Sparkz for the latest.
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