The hybrid Honda Prelude brings the goods in a lot of areas, but a manual transmission won’t be one of them.
After the automaker finally and fully pulled the wraps off its new, Civic Hybrid-based Prelude, enthusiasts have been hoping for one thing. Honda, please give it a manual transmission. Well, that dream is now officially dead, as a senior company official confirmed during the 2025 Japan Mobility Show last week, as reported by Australia’s Drive outlet.
The 2026 Honda Prelude will indeed stick with an automatic (of sorts), based around the two-motor hybrid setup found in the Civic and several other models. Horita Hidetomo noted the developments of the brand’s hybrid system preclude actually baking in a 6-speed manual option alongside what we are actually getting. “So, S+ Shift is a new feature for the Prelude, and that way we can offer very exciting driving,” he said.
Some out there may remember the Honda CR-Z, which did offer up a four-cylinder gas engine and electric motor with a third pedal. However, these days the brand’s hybrid system leans much more on the electric side of the equation. You feel that when you drive, say, a Civic Hybrid, to the point that a manual actually isn’t possible to incorporate.
It’s possible to drive these modern hybrids at much higher speeds and under heavier throttle load because they have far more powerful electric motors — but the flip side is that a manual wouldn’t play nice in that sort of situation, unlike the old days where hybrids still mostly leaned on the gasoline engine.
Honda’s S+ Shift is an effort to split the difference. It’s designed to simulate actual gear changes (paddle shifters, rev-matching and all). By and large, most people don’t want to shift their own gears in everyday driving anyway, Hidetomo contends, saying this setup “satisfies the needs of today”.
But we’re enthusiasts here so…that is still disappointing, if unsurprising, news.
At any rate, the 2026 Honda Prelude is ramping up for its imminent U.S. launch, and we’ll have much more coverage coming up soon.
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