Despite initial skepticism from fans, the new Honda Prelude revival is generating some serious buzz.
By Chris Chin
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The new Honda Prelude is making some serious waves. The Japanese automaker officially shared some initial preorder and sales numbers from its domestic market, and they’re off to an unexpectedly huge start.
According to its latest figures, Honda in Japan confirmed that the new Prelude generated over 2,400 preorders thus far. That’s more than eight times initial monthly projections of 300 orders since the books opened up.
The influx of preorders is so high, that Honda is supposedly looking to boost production output. Other media outlets report that dealers were forced to pause reservations temporarily.
Being an affordable sports coupe, especially one favored by the more youthful lot, Honda reports its initial sales are coming from an unlikely demographic.
According to preliminary order data, most of the initial Prelude reservations are coming from customers of the age of 50 to 60 years old. This is a considerable surprise, especially when the Prelude is an affordable sports car geared towards younger buyers.
But contextually, it may not be surprising from the perspective of the that the last Prelude rolled off the assembly line almost 25 years ago.
Buyers who were of age to drive at the youngest were likely in their late teens. They likely aspired to own a Prelude, but couldn’t due to the cost of new vehicles.
Fast forward to today, and those late teenagers are likely in their mid-40s or early 50s. Given how that age group can typically afford a new car, they’re likely experiencing a strong sense of nostalgia. That nostalgia is likely strongly influencing their purchase decision.
Even then, the Prelude was most successful in the 1980s. It was one of Honda’s most iconic sports cars of the era. Aspirational teenage or younger buyers then are most certainly in their 40s and 50s, if not older.
As a refresher, the new Prelude comes as a resurrection of one of Honda’s most iconic sports coupes. It utilizes the same underpinnings as the current Civic Hybrid.
However, it sports two fewer doors and more sport- and performance-oriented tuning and other features to further distinguish it from its Civic Hybrid roots.
That means we’re expecting the same gas-electric hybrid propulsion system, including the Civic Hybrid’s continuously variable transmission. The latter has been a major source of critcism for the new model.
The criticism is further amplified by the lack of a manual transmission and no foreseeable inclusion of three pedals in the new Prelude’s future. We can only hope the backlash for the lack of a manual could force Honda to change their minds.
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