Honda will struggle to meet Prelude demand, but still expects to out-sell Nissan Z

Honda Australia expects to sell only 500 examples of the new Prelude this year, despite garnering significant preliminary interest in the all-new hybrid coupe.

Roughly 4000 expressions of interest for the born-again Honda Prelude were received in the leadup to last weekend's Melbourne Motor Show, with many keen customers also putting down a deposit ahead of the highly anticipated model's launch.

Stock of the sixth-generation Prelude has since begun rolling into local dealers this week, with first deliveries to commence shortly.

"We're really happy with the way it's progressing, and the response from our frontline staff and customers is that they're already falling in love with it again," Honda Australia's general manager of automotive Nick Parkington told CarExpert.

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"We did have quite a few that put down deposits straight away without having gone through the test-drive process.

"We obviously want to make sure that supply is matching the demand we have, and we've got enough for our initial interests.

"We think this year that we're probably good for around 500, something like that. We've got supply for that, and we can always get more if demand goes the way we hope."

Direct rivals for the first new Prelude in 25 years are thin on the ground, but Honda's 2026 sales projections would see the new coupe outsell the Nissan Z (158 deliveries in 2025) by a significant margin.

Having said that, the Ford Mustang (4052 deliveries) and BMW 2 Series (1175) remain the preferred options for Australian buyers seeking a stylish, sporty two-door coupe. The cheaper Toyota GR86, Subaru BRZ and Mazda MX-5 also sell in greater numbers.

The Mk6 Prelude will be available in a single specification priced at $65,000 drive-away – less than a base Mustang EcoBoost or Z. Honda believes this entry point has only served to boost enthusiasm... and order numbers.

"The response has been overwhelmingly positive," said Mr Parkington.

"We were at the motor show for all of the three days. We must have spoken to over 1000 participants or visitors, and every single person I spoke to was really happy with the price at which we're bringing it to market.

"When we talk about the dream being back, it's an accessible car. It's got some unique features. We're really excited to bring it to market."

Such unique features include the aforementioned hybrid powertrain, which has been borrowed from the Civic hatch and CR-V mid-size SUV. All up, there’s total system outputs of 147kW of power and 315Nm of torque, which is sent to the front wheels only.

There’s no mechanical transmission in the Prelude. Instead, Honda has incorporated what it calls S+ Shift, which emulates an eight-speed automatic transmission by offering the same “sharp gear shifting feel” you’d experience with a traditional automatic.

The Prelude is built on the same platform as the standard Civic, while chassis components have been pinched from the Civic Type R hot hatch.

MORE: Explore the Honda Prelude showroom