Honda and its Acura luxury marque have had some recent success as a 1990s nostalgia act. The company last year brought back the Acura Integra name — as beloved a piece of ’90s culture as any New Kids on the Block tour or “Home Alone” movie — to critical acclaim and sales success.
A new rumor says the company may repeat the feat with another beloved nameplate. The Honda Prelude may return, this time as an electric car.
A Honda Classic
In case you’re not old enough to remember, Honda built an affordable sport coupe under the Prelude name from 1978 until 2001. Enthusiasts loved it for a recipe that included a reasonable price, the front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout most drivers of the time were familiar with, and sharp handling.
And, in the best years, pop-up headlights.
The gossip seems to have started with a Japanese-language report in the automotive online publication Best Car, and migrated across the internet. We’ve reached out to Honda asking for confirmation — but automakers often benefit from letting a rumor simmer. So, we wouldn’t be surprised to get no comments for now.
What’s Driving This?
Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe outlined the company’s electric plans in April. At that point, he said, “We are currently exploring the global introduction of two sports models, specialty and flagship models.”
“Specialty car” is a term without much meaning in the U.S., but in Japan, it often refers to affordable performance coupes.
Best Car reports that the next Prelude will be electric, reach the market around 2028, and may use solid-state batteries. Several automakers are hard at work developing solid-state batteries, which may charge faster, weigh less, and support longer ranges than the lithium-ion batteries found in today’s electric cars.
We can’t speak to the truth of the rumors before Honda does. We’ll just note that the brand’s next EV for the U.S. market has already been named the Prologue (automakers love alliteration). Combined with the success of the Integra, that’s suggestive.
