Honda Prelude returns as hybrid electric sports coupe

Honda Specialty Sports Concept is the Prelude

Honda has surprised everyone at the inaugural Japan Mobility Show.

The manufacturer previously announced they are revealing the Specialty Sports Concept, but little did we know it would have the name of one of their most popular sport compacts from the 90s. As it turns out, the Specialty Sports Concept is the Honda Prelude.

The Prelude was Honda's two-door coupe that shared most of its bits with the Accord. The last model came out in 2001, and back then the BB-chassis Prelude was one of the most advanced front-wheel-drive coupes as it had active torque vectoring that aided in its handling.

But for the near future, we should recognize the Prelude as one of Honda's electrified performance cars along with the yet-to-be-revealed Flagship Sports Concept that we presume to be the next-generation NSX.

Based on the looks, the Prelude is as sexy as it gets. The coupe body actually reminds us a lot of the DC5 Integra as well as the Accord coupe from the late 2010s. It has full-width LED lighting units both front and rear, and it has some Type R aspirations going for it with its 20-inch wheels and brakes by Brembo.

For now, Honda has yet to reveal other details about the Prelude Concept, but Honda has said we should keep our expectations high for this model as they want to offer the “joy of driving” even in the electrified age.

UPDATE: An American Honda spokesperson took to social media to clarify that the Prelude Concept has a hybrid powertrain and not a full BEV, which means we could see a performance version of Honda's e:HEV system in the upcoming model. This could also be the reason why the Prelude Concept still has the proportions of an FF (front engine, front wheel drive) coupe.