Full reveal: Honda Prelude sports coupe to land this year
Revived sports coupé will be launched in 2026 with new S+ Shift system and hybrid powertrain
Exterior styling from concept (pictured) isn’t set to change dramatically for production car
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by James Attwood and Charlie Martin
2 mins read
2 April 2025
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The new Honda Prelude hybrid sports coupé has now been shown in full, following the unveiling of its interior.
It draws heavily on the Civic hatchback on which it’s based, borrowing that car’s 9.0in infotainment touchscreen, digital instrument display and climate control switchgear.
However, several key changes reflect its sportier positioning. The steering wheel has a rally-style line stitched into the straightahead and there are bucket seats up front – more thickly bolstered for the driver than the passenger.
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There’s also an S+ button on the centre console that activates the car’s simulated gearbox – a key part of Honda’s effort to ensure the Prelude offers driving thrills using the same 181bhp 2.0-litre e:HEV hybrid system as the Civic.
The new system is claimed to “simulate the sound and feel of quick automatic gearchanges”.
Honda Europe’s senior vice-president, Hans De Jaeger, said this will “not only deliver exceptional efficiency but also the fun-to-drive performance for which this model is known”.
The e:HEV system primarily uses an electric motor to propel the wheels, and while the petrol engine can drive the wheels directly at higher speeds, it serves largely as a generator to charge the battery. This removes the need for traditional gearing.
The new S+ Shift system builds on the Linear Shift Control system applied to Honda’s current e:HEV hybrid models.
The firm said it will have the ability to maintain the “optimal engine RPM for the particular driving conditions” and fully utilise power generated by the engine as driving force, rather than to charge the motor. That in turn will improve the response time of the motor.
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With the S+ Shift activated, drivers can then shift gears using paddles, which will offer a “sharp upshift feeling, providing feedback that resonates with all of the driver’s senses”. Quick gearshifts will be enabled by the coordination between the engine and electric motor.
The system will also work with Honda’s Active Sound Control system to “enhance engine sound quality” by playing engine sound in sync with the engine’s RPM through the speakers, which Honda claimed will “stimulate all of the driver’s senses”.
The S+ Shift name references the “sports spirit” of Honda models including the S600, S2000 and Type S.
The system is likely to serve in a similar fashion to the one on the electric Hyundai Ioniq 5 N.
Last year, Prelude project leader Tomoyuki Yamagami told Autocar: “When you’re in charge of developing the Prelude, you understand everyone has a lot of expectations of a coupé.”
Honda has previously offered a traditional manual gearbox on the Civic and Insight hybrids, although it was connected to an earlier, more conventional hybrid powertrain.