HONDA

New Honda Prelude off to a great start in Japan

A month after sales began in Japan, orders for the new Honda Prelude have exceeded the monthly sales target eight times there. Honda initially expected around 300 customers each month, but between September 5 and October 6, around 2,400 orders were received in Japan.

According to Motor1, demand is so strong that some dealers have temporarily suspended new orders, although Honda plans to increase production to shorten the waiting time for first-time buyers.

As for who is buying the Prelude, it is mainly middle-aged buyers, but also older ones. Honda says that demand is driven by people in their 50s and 60s, and that more than half chose white (63 percent), followed by gray (16 percent), black (11 percent) and red (10 percent).

In Japan, the Prelude starts at 6,179,800 yen, which is 35,170 euros at the current exchange rate. The two-tone Limited Edition version available exclusively online for 6,480,100 yen (36,880 euros) has already sold out, as demand quickly outstripped production capacity.

The Japanese debut has therefore exceeded expectations. Even Honda seems to have underestimated the initial enthusiasm and is now increasing production to meet the higher-than-expected demand.

The new Prelude is 4532 mm long, 1356 mm high and 1880 mm wide.

It is powered by a hybrid powertrain that features a 2.0-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder with 141 hp and 182 Nm, along with an electric motor. The combined system output is 200 hp and 315 Nm.

Autonews