September 4, 2025 - Honda Brings Back the Sporty Hybrid

This is the Telemetry Transportation Daily for September 4, 2025, and I'm Sam Abuelsamid, vice president of market research for Telemetry.  

Two years ago at the Japan Mobility Show, Honda showed off what was labeled at the time as a concept, the Prelude. Prelude is a nameplate that dates back to the late 1970s for Honda when it was a sport coupe based on the Accord. The Prelude survived through five generations until the early 2000s before being discontinued. It's now back for 2026 as a production model based on the Civic, and it is effectively a replacement for the Civic Coupe that was discontinued in 2021. 

With the Civic serving as the basis for the new Prelude, Honda has combined the new 2-door hatchback body style with components from the Civic Sport Touring hybrid and the high-performance Type-R. The latest generation of Honda's two-motor hybrid drivetrain has proven very popular, accounting for more than 48% of combined Accord, Civic and CR-V sales through August 2025.  In the Prelude, the 2.0-liter Atkinson cycle four-cylinder and hybrid electric drive will combine for the same 200-hp and 232 lb-ft of torque as the Civic and will likely provide close to 50 mpg combined. Even with that impressive fuel efficiency, the Civic hybrid is surprisingly engaging to drive. 

Honda aims to improve on that with the Prelude by adding an S+ mode to the electronic variable transmission system that simulates shifting and rev-matching with a manual transmission through the shift paddles. Further enhancing the Prelude's driving dynamics are the dual-axis front suspension layout from the Civic Type-R and the larger brakes with Brembo calipers found on that model. At launch, the hybrid will be the only powertrain offered in the Prelude, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see a Type-R with the 310-hp turbocharged engine from the Civic at some point in this car's life cycle.  

Honda isn't releasing pricing information until later this fall, closer to the on-sale date, but given the components being used, it's likely to fall in the mid-to-upper $30,000 range, about midway between the Sport touring hybrid and Type-R versions of the Civic. 

Thanks for listening.