Why Honda Thinks the Prelude Will Succeed Where Civic Coupe Failed
"The hybrid is key."
The 2026 Honda Passport. Acura's new ADX and the reborn-as-a-coupe-over RSX EV. The market's love affair with SUVs shows no signs of slowing, so why introduce another car in the shape of the 2026 Honda Prelude? That was the question we posed to American Honda at its yearly business briefing.
After all, the new car shares a general size and shape with the Civic coupe, which disappeared from the lineup at the end of 2020. Don't forget the Integra is back now too, for those wanting a swankier option in that size. So what gives?
"I think the Prelude is really something where it brings that coupe sportiness, and something that people can identify with, not just the current product but the history of it, and will generate some additional excitement," explains Lance Woelfer, vice president of auto sales at American Honda.
"The Civic coupe that we had was a great vehicle, but overall didn’t fit into the future landscape as we went forward… As we looked at where to prioritize our production at that time, that decision was made."
Woelfer is positive that the revived nameplate will play an important role, noting that those who drove a previous generation Prelude—himself included—will be curious. There's no arguing about the value of a name: even looking outside Honda, the Ford Mustang Mach-E is now the best-selling Mustang.
There is of course another major difference between the new Prelude and the last Civic coupe: the hybrid powertrain. That's a unique angle, as no other affordable coupe offers one, and should it end up being the Civic hybrid's setup ported over wholesale, we're talking easy 50-plus miles per gallon.
“I think offering it as a hybrid brings a whole new different level of performance and buyer to that nameplate that would be different as well," chimes Jessica Fini, American Honda vice president of communications. Woelfer quickly agrees: "absolutely, the hybrid is key."
This too is hard to argue against. With the latest generation of Accord and CR-V, sales are split evenly between ICE-only and hybrid models. The Civic's 2025 refresh sees a 40-percent take rate for the electrified powertrain. The market is hungry for hybrids, and the Prelude's unique positioning as the only affordable hybrid coupe could be its secret to success. No wonder it's one of our most anticipated new cars of 2025.
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Kyle began his automotive obsession before he even started school, courtesy of a remote control Porsche and various LEGO sets. He later studied advertising and graphic design at Humber College, which led him to writing about cars (both real and digital). He is now a proud member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC), where he was the Journalist of the Year runner-up for 2021.
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