This is shaping up to be a winning year for Honda America. In July alone, sales hit 121,017 units, marking a slight uptick compared to the same month last year. But the real headline is in the year-to-date numbers: 860,168 deliveries in the first seven months, up 6.1% from 2024. As expected, the best-sellers are the SUVs: the chart-topping CR-V, the smaller HR-V, and the roomy three-row Pilot. Honda isn’t turning its back on coupés and sporty models.
Come September, the Japanese automaker will reintroduce the Honda Prelude, reborn as a sleek two-door sports coupé with a hybrid powertrain. On its official Japanese website, Honda has already revealed images and specs, no camouflage here.
Inside and out, the design is complete, and under the skin it borrows the Civic Type R’s chassis and advanced suspension setup. The Prelude is a driver’s car, a welcome break from today’s sea of bland compact models.
In the real world, a Prelude Type R would risk stepping on the Civic’s toes. But in the creative universe of automotive CGI, there are no such limits. Digital artist Nikita Chuicko, better known online as kelsonik, has envisioned an “OEM+” take on the new Prelude, with tasteful yet aggressive upgrades that make it look ready for a production line.
His rendering features a reworked front bumper with a larger air intake and exposed aluminum radiator, more pronounced side skirts, retro-inspired white alloy wheels, and at the rear, a larger decklid wing, a sportier diffuser, and the Civic Type R’s signature triple center exhaust.
The only unanswered question: would this hypothetical beast run a high-output hybrid setup or the Civic’s 300+ HP turbocharged 2.0-liter four? For now, it’s pure digital daydreaming. But with the real Prelude set to hit the streets soon, enthusiasts already have plenty to get excited about.
