It’s been more than two decades since we’ve seen the last Prelude coming out from the factory lines. The legendary coupe was a synonym for an affordable car, which was characterized by great performance and impressive reliability. During the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s, we saw five generations of the nameplate and some of them still have a great following among car enthusiasts. Nowadays, it looks like the Prelude nameplate could come back, as the Honda Prelude 6th gen model has been confirmed.
As you may presume, it will come as an EV and as bringing back good-old nameplates is pretty popular among carmakers these days, this seems like a logical move. According to the latest reports, the new Prelude won’t come that soon. It will come in the second half of this decade, probably in 2028, along with the all-electric NSX. As we are still far away from production, there isn’t much information about the new Prelude, so the only thing left to us is to speculate about the new design. Therefore, makes sure to take the following paragraphs with a reserve.
Honda Prelude 6th gen Design
So, the first thing that comes to mind about the Honda Prelude 6th gen is its design. Through all those years of production, this nameplate was always reserved for a sports coupe, so we see no reason why the Japanese manufacturer would continue the tradition. Once again, we would expect to see a two-door coupe design, with a sports stance, but designed in a way to be affordable to the masses.
However, times have changed and two-door coupes aren’t all that popular anymore, especially among buyers of mainstream cars. Therefore, we might see a more practical design, such as a four-door or even an SUV. After all, the company revived another legendary nameplate, the Integra, which was also a two-door coupe. The new model, on the other hand, is a four-door sedan. So, we can see the same design approach in the case of the Honda Prelude 6th gen model.
We could even see an SUV’s body style. It wouldn’t be the first time in the automotive industry something like that. The all-electric Mustang is an all-electric SUV, while Mitsubishi has been using the Eclipse nameplate for a long time.
Interior
At this point, it’s absolutely impossible to predict more precise details about the Honda Prelude 6th gen interior. Simply, we are still four or five years away from production and if we consider that things are changing much faster these days, no one knows what kind of aesthetics will be popular in the future. On the other hand, there is no doubt that the new cabin will be stacked with advanced tech features. This would include massive infotainment and instrument screens, various connectivity features and many more.
When it comes to seating configuration, many things will depend on the body style. So far, the Prelude has been a sports 2-door coupe, with a 2+2 seating configuration. Of course, more practical body styles would bring more comfort to the second row. The sedan would offer a second-row bench, able to accommodate two adults or three kids with ease, while the SUV shape would probably be capable of accommodating three adults in the back with ease.
Honda Prelude 6th gen Drivetrain, Battery and Performance
This aspect will bring the biggest changes compared to the previous generations. In the past, all five generations of Prelude were light sports cars with a transversally-mounted engine and front-wheel drive. This time, we will see something completely different, an all-electric setup.
We presume that the new generation will still use GM’s Ultium battery technology and platform. In practice, that would mean a much heavier layout, due to the massive battery pack positioned under the floor. At this point, it’s still early to talk about capacity, but there’s no doubt that a big technological advance is expected in the next few years and that the industry standards would be much higher compared to today’s. These days, a 300-mile range sounds respectable but are pretty sure this will change in just a few years.
Another questionable thing about the next generation is the drivetrain. As we already mentioned, previous generations were all front-wheel-drive cars. So, the logic says the new Honda Prelude 6th gen would feature a front-mounted electric motor. However, these are different times and outputs are much higher than they used to be, so an RWD setup seems way more appropriate. Eventually, we could also see a high-end version with a dual-motor setup, which would feature way more power and cost significantly more.
Honda Prelude 6th gen Release Date
The Honda Prelude 6th gen will most likely be in 2028, along with the new all-electric NSX. More precise information is expected in the future, so stay tuned.