- Honda’s 2026 Prelude Concept showed up at the 2025 Tokyo Auto Salon—and it looks production-ready
- The automaker’s said it’ll land in Canadian dealerships some time this year, so where are the specs?
- All we know concretely is it’s a hybrid, and that there’s a new Honda S+ Shift mode
Honda is calling this Prelude a “concept,” but it sure looks production-ready to us. Yes, the Honda Prelude Concept has been making the rounds since November of 2023, and here it is again at the 2025 Tokyo Auto Salon. The only thing that’s changed is we now know that something that very much resembles this thing will land on our shores (hopefully) by the year’s end. Aside from the flush door handles, every aspect of this car looks like a real production car—what does Honda even really need to change?
The Prelude appears to be built on a shortened version of the Accord chassis. We also know it is powered by a hybrid drivetrain. Given those two pieces of information, it would be reasonable to assume the Prelude will use a variant of the Honda Accord Hybrid drivetrain.
But given that the Accord Hybrid makes just 204 horsepower, we hope the company finds a way to spice things up so that the Prelude can back up its good looks with actual performance. Putting on our guessing hats, we think the Prelude will have a FWD base trim; and an optional, more powerful AWD trim as well.
Sadly, a hybrid powertrain almost surely rules out the possibility of a manual transmission, which is a shame because the big-H brand makes some of the best shifters in the business. But don’t feel blue! Honda says the Prelude will be available with a new drive mode called Honda S+ Shift, which it says “further advances Linear Shift Control to deliver maximum levels of driver engagement.” We remain unconvinced.
In person, the Accord cuts an attractive silhouette. It does come with a cabin that generally looks like it’s mounted too far forward. The hood is short and stubby, the dash to axle ratio is poor for a sports coupe, and the fastback roof is noticeably long. Clearly, this is a constraint of building a sports coupe on a sedan chassis and being forced to use the same front end and cowl for both.
The overall look works nevertheless, and when it comes to market, it will likely be by some measure the prettiest Honda in the lineup. The front end does bear an uncanny resemblance to the Toyota Prius, it must be said. Out back, the cursive “Prelude” script badge, full-width tail lights, and rounded rear have me seeing hints of Porsche 911.
That’s pretty much all we know about the Prelude so far. Last we heard, the production Prelude will appear in Canadian dealerships as a 2026-model-year car, with an “expected” launch date in 2025. Having now laid eyes on this thing in-person with that in mind, all we can ask Honda is: stop teasing us and build it already!