Honda has confirmed its next-generation Prelude hybrid will be coming to the UK

Following last winter’s announcement of the return of the beloved Prelude badge, Honda has since confirmed the reimagined (and now hybrid) sporty coupe will be offered in the UK.

Originally thought to be sold as an all-electric vehicle, Honda said the new Prelude will actually be a hybrid. That means, you guessed it, an internal combustion engine. Likely a mildly uprated version of the Civic hybrid’s 2.0-litre four-pot (otherwise known as ‘e:HEV’).

Other mechanical details and technical outputs remain sparse for the time being, but we do know it’s most likely going to send a ballpark figure of 200bhp to the front wheels. Sad news for traditionalists that expected Honda’s first rear-wheel drive hooligan since the S2000.

But we could yet still see a much fruitier Type R version in the works, given that Honda has reaffirmed the Prelude’s goal of retaining ‘the joy of driving’ and all that. Yep, a 300bhp+, six-speed manual-driven Prelude sounds like a pretty tasty recipe to us… but we’ll remain wishful until it’s announced.

Chief engineer at Honda, Tomoyuki Yamagami, said: “The new Prelude not only marks the latest chapter in our ever-evolving hybrid story, it is also the product of 25 years of pioneering hybrid research and development.”

Following its debut later this month at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, it’s expected to hit showroom floors at some point next year. Reckon Honda’s gone about bringing the badge back in the right way?