New Honda Prelude concept

[ckone2030]

So we got the Acura Integra and now with the type S, what do you think about this new Prelude concept:

https://news.yahoo.com/the-honda-prelude-returns-as-a-concept-ev-095016392.html

I had a 1995 Prelude with VTEC and thoroughly enjoyed it. Do you think they are going to launch a Type R version? There are no further details but I also hope they will go with hybrid and not full electric.

 

[NecroFIesh]

Super excited for this to come out. I'm a huge fan of the previous models and while having never been able to own one, I'd love to see what Honda has in store for this concept. Love the styling also.

-G

 

[nix6speed]

The front and rear resemble the new Prius. Especially the rear. Side profile... I see there being an Acura CL if this makes it to production.

 

[ABPDE5]

Couple thoughts:
Apparently, it's FWD (to be expected from a "Prelude"), but the combination of FWD and coupe is odd, considering Honda specifically cut FWD coupes from their lineup for the 11th gen Civic and 10th gen Accord platforms. I can't imagine them investing in a coupe platform after sales figures drove them to abandon it. I'd assume this same platform is leveraged for Civic / Accord, etc. moving forward for $ reasons.

Reportedly it won't be available in a manual. Honda claims it's designed to be an enthusiast car (re: rewarding driving), but FWD, no trans / auto trans, etc. makes that hard to believe (sure the chassis could be great... most modern platforms are).

It's hard to take Honda's commitment to enthusiast vehicles seriously at this juncture. I think the FL/DE5 are probably the last car they'll make that will qualify (for me).

Concepts from Toyota, Mazda, etc. that tease transmission options, RWD, etc. seem more promising, and the fact that those brands have been willing to invest in dedicated platforms (GR86, GR Supra, MX-5) for years makes me think they'll follow through with better options.

Honda is chasing that efficiency model 100%.

 

[ABPDE5]

Couple thoughts:
Apparently, it's FWD (to be expected from a "Prelude"), but the combination of FWD and coupe is odd, considering Honda specifically cut FWD coupes from their lineup for the 11th gen Civic and 10th gen Accord platforms. I can't imagine them investing in a coupe platform after sales figures drove them to abandon it. I'd assume this same platform is leveraged for Civic / Accord, etc. moving forward for $ reasons.

Reportedly it won't be available in a manual. Honda claims it's designed to be an enthusiast car (re: rewarding driving), but FWD, no trans / auto trans, etc. makes that hard to believe (sure the chassis could be great... most modern platforms are).

It's hard to take Honda's commitment to enthusiast vehicles seriously at this juncture. I think the FL/DE5 are probably the last car they'll make that will qualify (for me).

Concepts from Toyota, Mazda, etc. that tease transmission options, RWD, etc. seem more promising, and the fact that those brands have been willing to invest in dedicated platforms (GR86, GR Supra, MX-5) for years make me think they'll follow through with better options.

Honda is chasing that efficiency model 100%.

Just want to add... there's nothing wrong with FWD or a shared platform (I own a DE5), and I would have loved a coupe variant for the FL/DE5.

I just think Honda has a clearly established trend of moving away from investing in enthusiast offerings, and a lot of the signs with this concept show a further continuation of that trend. I had high hopes for this concept, but it seems like it makes a lot more sacrifices than concepts put forth by manufacturers that have established they are still willing to invest in less profitable enthusiast offerings.

If your "halo" car for the next generation is already dropping the transmission options you're renowned for, built on a shared platform, and based on FWD, it's hard to take you at your word that you care about enthusiasts.

 

[NoelPR]

I will just skip the hype until more details come out.

 

[Integra23]

The front and rear resemble the new Prius. Especially the rear. Side profile... I see there being an Acura CL if this makes it to production.

this is what came to mind when looking at those photos.

 

[Yato]

I really like the way the car looks, personally. As far as the platform/drivetrain is concerned….this really feels more like a successor to the CR-Z (CR-X by extension) than a Prelude.

I’m interested in learning more though.

 

[optronix]

Road and Track says it will be all electric, so any talk of it being front-wheel drive and/or lack of manual is irrelevant. There aren't enough details to really comment beyond that- here's how it looks, and it will be all-electric. Some marketing-speak for how fun it's supposed to be to drive. We'll revisit when it lands in the hands of some journalists just like we did with the ITS, which we still knew a lot more about when it was initially revealed because of the context with the CTR. This is a complete unknown.

Overall, this is just the beginning of the journey to electric vehicles. Manufacturers have gone all-in on this for over half a decade at this point and have not really been hush-hush about it; it shouldn't really be any surprise to anyone.

"Enthusiasts" are going to rail against it because it's different. We're the same people that get excited over 30 year old Nissans. The general market doesn't care, and to be completely truthful, I think 99% of the enthusiast market wouldn't even buy a 30 year old Nissan if it was re-released today but that's another conversation...

Personally, I intentionally splurged to get what I view as top-tier, last-of-their-kind ICE vehicles to hold me over until I can come to terms with the electric revolution. Last year I custom ordered a brand new Macan GTS for my wife, and a 718 Boxster GTS 4.0 for myself... I over-rotated on the Boxster but pretty happy where I landed on the ITS. As a serial new-car buyer I feel pretty comfortable that these two will hold me over for a while. We all will manage in our own ways. Some are content to just complain about it while they drive their 10 year old GTIs...

But all that said, I'm not opposed to seeing what these manufacturers come up with. It's pretty close-minded to just assume they'll all be trash. I hate Teslas (and most of their drivers...) as much as anyone, but that doesn't mean I don't believe that it's possible for a car to be fun and engaging if it has an electric powertrain.

And honestly, I'm legit excited about what some of the possibilities will be around hybrids. I think the Mclaren Artura turned me around completely. That is a truly lustworthy car that is made more interesting with the hybrid powertrain. The next generation 911, RS model Audis, probably M cars, all are expected to by hybrid and we'll just have to see how it goes... but if the Artura is any indication the song isn't over for us enthusiasts, and I think cars like this Prelude if executed correctly could help bridge the gap.

Personally I think it looks pretty great too. I guess you could say it looks like a Prius but I think the new Prius looks great too, and this one is a coupe. Could be worse.

 

[VtecBuddy]

Bizarre that they would make it FWD when it looks to be an EV that was designed from the ground up to be an EV. I don't think they said anything about drivetrain, and hopefully there's an AWD option?

 

[NecroFIesh]

Road and Track says it will be all electric, so any talk of it being front-wheel drive and/or lack of manual is irrelevant. There aren't enough details to really comment beyond that- here's how it looks, and it will be all-electric. Some marketing-speak for how fun it's supposed to be to drive. We'll revisit when it lands in the hands of some journalists just like we did with the ITS, which we still knew a lot more about when it was initially revealed because of the context with the CTR. This is a complete unknown.

Overall, this is just the beginning of the journey to electric vehicles. Manufacturers have gone all-in on this for over half a decade at this point and have not really been hush-hush about it; it shouldn't really be any surprise to anyone.

"Enthusiasts" are going to rail against it because it's different. We're the same people that get excited over 30 year old Nissans. The general market doesn't care, and to be completely truthful, I think 99% of the enthusiast market wouldn't even buy a 30 year old Nissan if it was re-released today but that's another conversation...

Personally, I intentionally splurged to get what I view as top-tier, last-of-their-kind ICE vehicles to hold me over until I can come to terms with the electric revolution. Last year I custom ordered a brand new Macan GTS for my wife, and a 718 Boxster GTS 4.0 for myself... I over-rotated on the Boxster but pretty happy where I landed on the ITS. As a serial new-car buyer I feel pretty comfortable that these two will hold me over for a while. We all will manage in our own ways. Some are content to just complain about it while they drive their 10 year old GTIs...

But all that said, I'm not opposed to seeing what these manufacturers come up with. It's pretty close-minded to just assume they'll all be trash. I hate Teslas (and most of their drivers...) as much as anyone, but that doesn't mean I don't believe that it's possible for a car to be fun and engaging if it has an electric powertrain.

And honestly, I'm legit excited about what some of the possibilities will be around hybrids. I think the Mclaren Artura turned me around completely. That is a truly lustworthy car that is made more interesting with the hybrid powertrain. The next generation 911, RS model Audis, probably M cars, all are expected to by hybrid and we'll just have to see how it goes... but if the Artura is any indication the song isn't over for us enthusiasts, and I think cars like this Prelude if executed correctly could help bridge the gap.

Personally I think it looks pretty great too. I guess you could say it looks like a Prius but I think the new Prius looks great too, and this one is a coupe. Could be worse.

Great insight, as always.

-G

 

[ABPDE5]

The articles that I read mentioned FWD and in one the author specifically called out no manual. Whether or not either turns out to be true remains to be seen.

I think electric cars are going to be awesome, actually; weight distribution, center of gravity, packaging, etc. are going to be world's better then ICE cars... we will be getting electric SUVs with better weight dist. and center of gravity than many ICE sports cars, and they will handle substantially better as a result. The torque, powerband, and overall output of the powertrains will put ICE to shame, too.

My point was just that, as a concept car (which reality should be expected to fall short of) for a "halo" car (which should be the best you offer), the Prelude seems to set the bar rather low (assuming what I've read turns out to be correct) for an enthusiast vehicle. I have no doubt, from a performance and livability perspective it will trounce FL/DE5, etc.

I hope my pessimism is misplaced... I would love an electric drivetrain mated to a traditional manual trans (understood this leads to a perf. loss) in a small coupe with the weight centered between the wheels and below my waist. But, my gut tells me Honda won't be the one to bring that to market, and there's a better chance Toyota, Mazda or Porsche do.

Maybe we get an S2K that fits that description... I'll admit, amidst Honda's talk of electrics that celebrate "the joy of driving" and rumors of an electric sports car concept, that's what I was hoping for today.

 

[optronix]

The articles that I read mentioned FWD and in one the author specifically called out no manual. Whether or not either turns out to be true remains to be seen.

I think electric cars are going to be awesome, actually; weight distribution, center of gravity, packaging, etc. are going to be world's better then ICE cars... we will be getting electric SUVs with better weight dist. and center of gravity than many ICE sports cars, and they will handle substantially better as a result. The torque, powerband, and overall output of the powertrains will put ICE to shame, too.

My point was just that, as a concept car (which reality should be expected to fall short of) for a "halo" car (which should be the best you offer), the Prelude seems to set the bar rather low (assuming what I've read turns out to be correct) for an enthusiast vehicle. I have no doubt, from a performance and livability perspective it will trounce FL/DE5, etc.

I hope my pessimism is misplaced... I would love an electric drivetrain mated to a traditional manual trans (understood this leads to a perf. loss) in a small coupe with the weight centered between the wheels and below my waist. But, my gut tells me Honda won't be the one to bring that to market, and there's a better chance Toyota, Mazda or Porsche do.

Maybe we get an S2K that fits that description... I'll admit, amidst Honda's talk of electrics that celebrate "the joy of driving" and rumors of an electric sports car concept, that's what I was hoping for today.

Yeah, I've seen no reference to front wheel drive. The fact it isn't manual isn't a stretch; I think it would be front page news if it was actually manual.

In fact what's remarkable to me is just how few details there are around this car. Honda sure does like to keep things close to the vest.

 

[Yato]

“Prelude Concept is a hybrid-electric vehicle, not a fully electric car as previously reported.”

So it’s not going to be a dedicated EV apparently. Interesting.

 

[optronix]

“Prelude Concept is a hybrid-electric vehicle, not a fully electric car as previously reported.”

So it’s not going to be a dedicated EV apparently. Interesting.

Yeah that contradicts Road and Track; I can't keep up.

If it's hybrid and meant to be a sports car, this does raise a few questions if it's front wheel drive. i'm guessing it has to be AWD with a front ICE and rear electric?

Whatever. I'll wait until more details emerge to drop judgement.