Honda has announced that the new Prelude, which was previewed as a concept sometime back, will go into production for a global debut by 2026. The Prelude is the second moniker being resurrected by Honda in recent times; the first was the popular Integra. The Japanese manufacturer has started testing the Prelude at multiple locations internationally.
New Honda Prelude to get a “manual-style” gearbox
The revived sports coupe will come with a 2.0-litre petrol-hybrid powertrain coupled with not just an automatic but a “manual-style” transmission, according to Autocar UK.
The new Prelude will share its underpinnings with the latest-gen Civic, and most of the design cues previewed on the show car last year will make it to the production model.
As for the petrol-hybrid with manual gearbox setup, it is not common for most brands except Honda, which has models such as the earlier generation of the Civic, the CR-Z and also the Insight petrol-hybrid with this setup. Sources tell us that this might be complex to fix in the brand’s current e:HEV hybrid system. Hence, it is likely that any manual-style transmission offered on the Prelude would be a simulated one – similar to that offered on the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N EV.
Honda India plans: 2024 and beyond
Honda will introduce a City special edition soon in India. Next up will be the all-new Amaze, which could debut in the coming months. The Elevate SUV will also get a Dark edition next year.