Toyota was, without a doubt, the star attraction at last month's inaugural Japan Mobility Show, formerly known as the Tokyo Motor Show, for almost seven decades. However, the biggest surprises came from different directions.
Everyone was expecting Toyota to debut a 'Land Hopper' model – only it was just a three-wheel mobility concept, not the compact Land Cruiser envisioned by the rumor mill. The Japanese automaker also launched new EVs like the FT-3e crossover SUV and the FT-Se sports car to signal the MR2's upcoming revival potentially. Oh, and let us not forget about the IMV 0 modular pickup truck/van, the EPU electric pickup truck, or the Land Cruiser Se concepts.
However, none of them were all too surprising if you watched JMS closely. Instead, Mazda and Honda hit the motherload with their Iconic SP and Prelude concepts, respectively. The former is a potential continuation of the RX series or/and a preview of the next MX-5 with the allure of a pop-up headlight EV sports car featuring a rotary engine as a range extender unit. The latter, meanwhile, feels exactly like an Acura Integra Coupe if you ask around.
That is also valid across the imaginative realm of digital car content creators – where this virtual artist, known as Theottle on social media, has resorted to CGI slicing and dicing the new Honda Prelude Concept into a series production Type R model. One important thing to note is that the author, who firmly believes this Honda Prelude Concept could have very well turned into the Acura Integra Coupe we never got, purposedly envisioned the production-ready Prelude revival on the basis of a big compact car.
That would be Honda's FL5 Civic Type R based on the eleventh iteration of the Civic series. It doesn't feature five doors anymore, the roof is sloped, and the overall styling is also cleaner. Even better, the rear POV looks more relaxed than the Civic Type R's – both when discussing the hypothetical Prelude and the unofficial Prelude Type R. The front, on the other hand, is a bit more debatable if you want to know our two cents on the CGI matter.
Anyway, now that we see the potential looks of the revived Honda Prelude coupe – powered by some kind of electrified powertrain – there's a simple question. Would you buy this instead of the five-door Acura Integra on sale in America from $31,500? And if given the chance to upgrade, would you choose this imagined Prelude Type R over the $50,800 Acura Integra Type S if all things are equal?
By the way, it's interesting to note that Honda revealed the Prelude concept as a hybrid. Could they be setting up the field for the Civic, Integra, and their respective Type Rs to enter the electrified lifestyle?
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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