Could the New Honda Prelude Spark a Comeback for Other Sport Coupes?
With the imminent arrival of Honda's resurrected Prelude sparking enthusiasm worldwide, its reception still remains divided over whether a hybrid-powered, CVT-equipped two-door coupe is a worthwhile successor to the now legendary nameplate. Honda's bold strategy to offer a personal compact coupe with mechanical furnishings not far off from that of a Toyota Prius, combined with simulated shift points and flappy paddles to add a sense of excitement, is a move that has drawn plenty of skepticism. However, the way in which it plays out could permanently alter the way that affordable sports cars are marketed. If the upcoming Honda Prelude's development strategy proves popular, perhaps we could see other manufacturers offering their own compact sport coupes with running gear borrowed from more frugal models.
If Honda's upcoming Prelude proves to be a sales success, it could prompt rival automakers to resurrect their own iconic compact sport coupes with similar hybridized powertrains and simulated excitement, allowing them to once again offer fun-focused models without having to develop entirely new powertrains and platforms. Using generative text-to-image artificial intelligence and Adobe Photoshop, we take an imagined look at what some hypothetically revived compact sport coupes could look like from a variety of manufacturers. These renders in no way resemble any actual products and are exclusively for speculative and entertainment purposes.
Taking style inspiration from the polarizing Hyundai Ioniq 6, reviving the Tiburon nameplate could be an excellent way for Hyundai to take on Honda's upcoming Prelude. The Korean automaker has come an extremely long way since the Tiburon was discontinued from its lineup back in 2008, and an all-new Tiburon could provide an excellent opportunity to show off just how much progress they've made. Equipped with the same 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, which, when paired with a 51-kW electric motor, makes 192 horsepower in the 2025 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, the revived Tiburon could directly mirror the Prelude's development philosophy, albeit with Hyundai tech and engineering, and a genuine six-speed automatic transmission instead of a CVT.
For the purist enthusiasts out there, the development of a revived Tiburon sport coupe could also open up the opportunity for a more hardened performance variant, possibly powered by the same 276-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine found in the Hyundai Elantra N, paired with the buyer's choice of either a six-speed manual transmission or an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic. With these two hypothetical variants, the resurrected Hyundai Tiburon could cover a lot of enthusiast ground, appealing to both the hardcore purists and progressive, athletic modernists alike.
A true Fast & Furious icon, the Mitsubishi Eclipse was once one of the most desirable compact sport coupes on the market, combining daily driver practicality with agile handling and torquey, turbocharged powertrain options. Reviving the Eclipse nameplate could go a long way towards rejuvenating Mitsubishi's brand image, which has lost plenty of steam in recent years thanks to the automaker's discontinuation of every single remotely exciting model from its lineup. Diluted with monotonous crossovers, Mitsubishi needs something to remind the world that it's still in business. Whether it employs a modified variant of the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV's plug-in hybrid 2.4-liter four-cylinder powertrain or something juicier and turbocharged, we'd love to see something spicy back in Mitsubishi's portfolio of automobiles.
Enthusiasts have been begging Toyota for a new Celica since the model was discontinued in 2006, and recent rumors suggest that their cries may soon be answered. Whether it will equip a similar, 300-horsepower, turbocharged 1.6-liter three-cylinder engine as found in the GR Corolla, or a Prius-sourced, 196-horsepower hybrid powertrain with all-wheel drive, we're eagerly awaiting more information about Toyota's rumored upcoming sports coupe.
As Honda's official release of the resurrected Prelude nears ever closer, we can't help but feel nostalgic about the glory days of the personal compact sport coupe, a segment that reigned supreme throughout the 1980s and '90s in North America. It seemed every manufacturer offered a small, sporty coupe of their own, reflecting an appreciation for frugal fun that seems to have been lost to the sands of time ever since. When the all-new Prelude returns, and if it proves popular, it's possible that we could see a resurgence of compact sporty coupes, albeit with an entirely modernized philosophy. Only time will tell, but the Honda Prelude has us feeling incredibly optimistic for the future of the affordable two-door coupe.
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