by The return of the Honda Prelude to the US market has gotten off to a rather slow start. In its first full month of sales, December, only 174 cars were sold. This is, of course, more than the 30 sold in November, but the result lags significantly behind other popular coupes.
Comparison with Competitors
It is too early to draw far-reaching conclusions, but in December the Prelude sold worse than the Subaru BRZ, which found 229 buyers. It was also outsold by the Toyota Supra (277 units) and GR86 (576 units). Furthermore, it appears the Nissan Z performed better, as the company sold 665 cars in the fourth quarter, averaging over 221 per month.
This should not come as a big surprise, as the Prelude is still carving out its niche, and dealers are slapping huge markups on the car.
If that wasn’t enough, the base price starts at $42,000, plus a $1,195 destination charge. This is a rather high price for a 200-horsepower hybrid, especially considering the Civic Si can be had for $32,190.
The Big Picture of Honda Sales
Setting the Prelude aside, the updated Passport had a stunning success: annual sales grew by 69.8%. The Prologue EV, Odyssey minivan, and Ridgeline pickup also had a successful year with sales growth ranging from 6.7% to 18.7%.
However, not all the news was good. HR-V sales fell by 1.8% to 148,771 units. Pilot sales also dropped by 12.1%, even though the updated model recently started arriving at dealerships. Honda attributed this decline to “production constraints.”
As for disappointing figures, passenger car sales continue to fall. Accord sales dropped by 7.7%, as the company managed to sell only 150,196 units last year. Civic sales also contracted, but more modestly—by 1.4%.
Overall, Honda had a mediocre year: sales grew by only 0.4% to 1,297,144 units.
The Situation at Acura
Things are not as good at Acura: the only two models that showed sales growth were the TLX and ZDX. Ironically, the company has already discontinued production of both these cars. The sedan was discontinued in July to “better align with the evolving needs of our customers and the changing automotive landscape.”
While the Integra remained in the lineup, the year was tough for it: sales fell by 17.3% to 20,178 units. On the other hand, the 2026 model is better equipped and costs only $400 more than its predecessor.
The good news concerns the ADX, which found 20,133 buyers last year. The entry-level crossover starts at $35,000 and is well-equipped: it features heated leatherette front seats, a sunroof, wireless smartphone charging, and a 9-inch multimedia system.
Like Honda, Acura had a so-so year: sales grew by 0.8% to 133,433 units. This is significantly less than competitors like Cadillac (173,515) and Lexus (370,260). However, the brand easily outpaced Infiniti with its meager 52,846 sales.
The Prelude’s slow start may be cause for concern, but it’s important to remember that this is only the beginning of the model’s life cycle. The sports coupe market has always been niche and conservative, and the introduction of a hybrid powertrain adds a new factor unfamiliar to buyers in this segment. The success of updated models like the Passport shows that Honda knows how to respond to demand for SUVs. Perhaps the company needs to revise its marketing strategy for the Prelude or wait for more powerful variants to appear to interest the traditional enthusiast audience. For Acura, however, the situation appears more systemic: discontinuing the only growing models, coupled with the decline in Integra sales, indicates a need for a deep rethinking of the lineup in the luxury segment.
