Honda will sell the Prelude sports coupe in the US starting in 2025. It will be a return to the model that was last sold in 2001, and will serve as a replacement for the Honda Civic coupe, which was phased out in 2020 as the company introduced a new generation of Civic body styles sedan and hatchback.

The new, sixth generation Prelude is a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV). It’s the third hybrid Honda will sell, following the larger Accord and Civic. The hybrid Honda Civic went on sale in 2024, and the company expects it to account for 40 percent of the Civic sales market. More than 50 percent of all Accord sales this year are hybrid variants.

“The return of the Honda Prelude as a hybrid-electric sports model demonstrates our continued commitment to offering a variety of exciting products that meet the needs of our customers,” said Jessika Laudermilk, assistant vice president of Honda Auto Sales, in a press release. . “The first three products in Honda’s lineup in the 1970s were the Civic, Accord and Prelude, and soon all three will be back together in our passenger car lineup as hybrids.”

The Prelude was originally marketed as a sports car, and the new drive mode, S+ Shift, is designed to tie the new model to its roots. This mode “enhances linear shift control” and provides “the maximum level of driver involvement”.

The Prelude is part of Honda’s larger electrification strategy. The company’s goal is to achieve carbon neutrality for all its products and business activities by 2050.

By 2040, Honda intends to make up 100 percent of its sales with electric batteries and electric cars with fuel cells. Before that, the company relies on hybrid technology and launched its first battery electric vehicle, the Prologue sport utility vehicle (SUV).

Late next year, Honda will begin production of new electric vehicles based on a new platform developed by Honda at its EV Hub in Ohio.

The future model is expected to take on the concept cars unveiled at January’s CES, the Honda 0 Series Sedan. It will be introduced in 2026. By 2030, seven Honda 0 models are expected to be produced and sold worldwide.