Having a car be so popular that you have to suspend ordering is a ‘problem’ lots of manufacturers would probably like to have, but it’s something that Honda’s actually experiencing in Japan with the new hybrid Prelude.
The reborn coupe has been on sale in its home country for just over a month, and in that time, Honda’s received around 2400 orders – eight times what it expects to sell per month, and enough that some dealers have had to temporarily stop taking orders while they catch up with demand.
Obviously, some of this can be chalked up to early adopter syndrome – it’s pretty common, especially among speciality or niche cars, for there to be an initial wave of demand that eventually settles once the model’s been around for a bit. But there is another reason, says Honda – Japanese Gen Xers can’t get enough of the Prelude.
It’s released some stats about the model’s sales so far, which say that demand is largely from customers in their 50s and 60s. There are likely a few reasons for this – these buyers will have been aspirational enthusiasts in their 20s and 30s when the original versions of the Prelude were around, enticed by its looks but perhaps not quite in the position to buy a brand new coupe. Now that the car’s made a comeback and the same people have a greater level of financial stability, it wouldn’t be at all surprising if a wave of nostalgia is driving demand.
Purchasing power is likely playing a big role too: in Japan, the new Prelude starts at ¥6,179,800, or around £30,400. Seems reasonable for a brand new coupe, until you discover that in its home market, the phenomenal Civic Type R kicks off at the equivalent of roughly £24,600. It’s no wonder, then, that more financially strained younger buyers are steering clear of the Prelude. And in case you needed any more evidence of the kind of customers opting for the new car, Honda specifically mentions that the boot can accommodate two golf bags.
Will it receive a similarly nostalgia-hungry audience when it arrives in Britain? We’ll have to wait until next year to see, but we don’t have to wait that long to find out what it’s like – CT Editor Ryan Hirons has just returned from the south of France, where he’s been sampling the Prelude, and we’ll have a full review out as soon as Honda lets us.
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Mike joined Car Throttle as a Staff Writer at the start of 2024, a role that sees him driving the news desk, as well as reviewing cars and (often unsuccessfully) pitching features on obscure Italian hatchbacks.
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