The Honda Prelude returns! New concept points to Honda's sportscar future

Honda unveiled one heck of a surprise at this week’s Japan Mobility Show: the new Prelude. And yes, while this car is technically a concept, it more than likely previews an electric sports car that’ll be introduced in the not-so-distant future. At least, it better. It better.

"The word 'prelude' means an 'introductory or preceding performance'," Honda Motor Co. president Toshihiro Mibe said in a statement. "This model will become the prelude for our future models which will inherit the 'joy of driving' into the full-fledged electrified future."

Looking about the size of an Alpine A110, Toyota GR86, or Subaru BRZ, the Prelude could be a hot contender in the compact sports car space. Obviously, our fingers are crossed for something lightweight and rear-wheel drive, but (a) EVs are inherently heavy, so we’ll see how that goes, and (b) Honda has yet to offer a new RWD vehicle following the death of the S2000. Look, we’re still in dream mode, so let us have this one.

Moreover, the Prelude concept shows a commitment to sports cars – something that seems to come and go from Honda’s product plans. It’s one thing to hotten-up the Civic and give it a Type R badge, but to develop a dedicated sports car from the ground up is an altogether different and more ambitious task, and one we’re really happy to see.

"We are diligently progressing with development," Mibe added, "so please keep your expectations high for this model." Oh, don’t worry, our hopes are way, way up.