2026 Honda Prelude first details – next-gen e:HEV hybrid with S+ Shift mode to simulate gear changes

Perhaps Honda Malaysia is prescient – exactly two weeks after the company showed the Prelude concept at the Kuala Lumpur International Mobility Show (KLIMS), Honda has released the first concrete details of its highly-anticipated sports coupé.

First of all, the Japanese carmaker has announced that the car – set to be revealed late next year – will be a global model, with sales starting in Japan and the US before moving to Europe in early 2026. It has also confirmed the Prelude’s worst-kept secret: that it will be a hybrid utilising an e:HEV dual-motor setup.

Specifically, the car will come with next-generation hardware. Honda has outlined some changes coming to both 1.5 litre and 2.0 litre versions of the e:HEV system, including all-new direct-injected engines designed to achieve a the most efficient stoichiometric air-fuel ratio in all driving situations without compromising power.

In particular, the 1.5 litre mill is said to be much more frugal by expanding its optimal rev range (balancing efficiency with torque) by over 40% compared to the existing four-pot. As yet, it is unclear which of the two powertrain options the Prelude will actually come with, but we’d hazard a guess that both will be offered. Also new is the front drive unit (i.e. the electric traction motor) that is smaller, more efficient and cheaper to produce, along with the integrated cooling system.

There are other efficiency improvements, such as tweaking how the engine transmits torque to the wheels (via a lock-up clutch) at higher speeds, adding electric assistance to the engine direct drive mode to expand the range of operation, and optimising the conversion of petrol to electric power. These help provide a claimed fuel consumption reduction of more than 10% compared to current technology.

Part of that improvement also comes down to the new midsize platform, which is said to be 90 kg lighter than before, with the goal of creating the lightest platform in the class. Honda is aiming the overall car to be 10% lighter than outgoing e:HEV vehicles, thanks to a simplified body structure that can be made to flex to control the load on each tyre when cornering.

The e:HEV system is still fundamentally the same as before, using the petrol engine more as a generator to juice the traction motor, with no mechanical connection to the wheels save for the aforementioned lock-up clutch. This means that unfortunately, as mentioned in previous reports, there will be no manual option offered on the Prelude.

To keep enthusiasts somewhat happy, however, Honda has added a new S+ Shift mode which – as the name suggests – simulates gearshifts in a similar fashion to the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N‘s N e-shift. This is a development of the Linear Shift Control feature already fitted to e:HEV models, starting with the latest Jazz in 2020, matching engine revs to the speed of the car.

The Honda Prelude concept was at KLIMS just two weeks ago

S+ Shift goes one step further, enabling the driver to “shift gears” using paddles on the steering wheel; it will also “hold the gear” when cornering. If the S+ moniker sounds familiar, that’s because it was last used on the first facelift of the CR-Z back in 2013, providing maximum power from the hybrid system at the push of a button. The “S” also harks back to Honda’s sports roadsters such as the S600 and S800, S2000 and S660.

Completing the range of improvements coming to e:HEV models is a new electric all-wheel-drive system that adds another motor to drive the rear wheels, with the torque distribution varying depending on the tyre load when accelerating, braking and cornering. Again, it’s unclear if the Prelude itself will get the technology.

New images show a car that’s practically identical to the concept (save for it being in the original white, rather than the red as shown at KLIMS), with one key difference – the windows are transparent, evidence of a proper interior. In any case, given that the original show car looked pretty much production-ready, expect not much to be changed when the real deal goes on sale next year.

GALLERY: Honda Prelude concept at KLIMS 2024