2026 Honda Prelude will have Civic e:HEV powertrain

Early this year, Honda confirmed the return of the Prelude as a production model after showing a concept at the 2023 Japan Mobility Show. Now we have more confirmed details about what to expect with this sports coupe.

MotorTrend reports that Honda’s Global Executive Vice President Shinji Aoyama has confirmed the Prelude is going into production next year as a 2026 model, and will share an e:HEV powertrain similar to the 2025 Civic RS that Honda will launch at this year’s Philippine International Motor Show (PIMS).

That means the Prelude will be powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder, Atkinson cycle engine assisted by two synchronous electric motors that run on lithium-ion batteries. Exact power and torque figures were not disclosed just yet, but it could have the more powerful USDM version that puts out 200 PS and 315 Nm of torque.

Sorry, manual transmission fans. While the Prelude will be engineered as a sporty hybrid coupe, it will only have a dedicated hybrid transmission. While that information makes us think the Prelude would basically be a two-door Civic, the Honda executive said the transmission would shift differently, along with an engaging engine sound.

We know the Civic e:HEV has the potential to excite. Let’s see if the Prelude has indeed an engaging character to please Honda enthusiasts once it comes out in 2026.