The Honda Prelude has been out of production for more than two decades, but a new generation is coming and was confirmed by Honda on Tuesday for launch in the U.S. by late 2025. The timing points to it arriving as a 2026 model.

The exterior design of the new Prelude was previewed by a concept at the 2023 Tokyo auto show, and camouflaged prototypes spotted in the wild suggest the production model will look almost identical to the show car.

Japanese YouTube channel Love Cars TV was recently able to sample one of the prototypes, and a video on the channel shows the interior for the first time. The interior appears at the 3:04 mark and looks very similar to the design in the latest Civic. The layout is much the same, and there's even a mesh strip running the width of the dash for the air vents, though it features a different mesh pattern here.

The center console appears to be unique. There's a pushbutton system for changing the gears instead of the lever in the Civic, and also located here is a prominent button for Honda's new S+ Shift drive mode.

Honda Prelude concept

S+ Shift is destined for all next-generation hybrids from Honda, starting with the new Prelude. In an effort to improve the driving experience, the drive mode controls engine revs during acceleration and deceleration to deliver improved responsiveness and simulated gear shifts for what will be a hybrid transmission forming part of Honda's next-generation hybrid powertrain.

While the Prelude is returning as a hybrid, Honda remains committed to launching electric and fuel cell vehicles. The automaker plans for 100% of its lineup to consist of EVs and fuel cell vehicles by 2040.

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