Honda to revive Prelude sports car after 24 years

The major Japanese automaker targets annual domestic sales of 3,500 units for the new Prelude, a hybrid coupe.

Honda hopes that the Prelude will build momentum for strengthening its hybrid strategy, believing that demand for hybrids will continue to grow toward 2030.

The first-generation model was released in 1978 and the Prelude became popular as a 'date car' in the late 1980s before its sales ended in 2001.

The new sixth-generation Prelude is equipped with Honda's advanced control technology for the first time, which adjusts engine revolutions during acceleration or braking, while altering engine sound in sync with engine revolutions.

The suggested retail price for the regular mode is set at 6,179,800 yen.

It will also be released in North America at the end of the year and in Europe in the first half of 2026.

"This model takes a big role in our strategy for four-wheel vehicles, redefining the joy of driving in the era of (vehicle) electrification and delivering it to global customers," Katsushi Inoue, senior managing executive officer of Honda, said at a product release event on Thursday.

Honda has set a goal of selling only electric or fuel cell vehicles by 2040. But until then, the automaker plans to add new hybrid models to its lineup.