Remember me
In a time when cool old Japanese metal is more valuable than ever, the arrival of an all-new Prelude is more than a nostalgia kick. Across five generations, this is one of the models that helped anoint Honda as a compellingly left-field entity – particularly in the US. The new model continues that tradition of engineering oddness. Instead of a high-revving combustion engine we get a hybrid whose electric motor does most of the heavy lifting, with the 2.0-litre ICE acting as a generator. There’s also something called S+ Shift, which mimics a regular gearbox and allows you to flick through the (non-existent) ratios with uncanny accuracy. It’s a sharp looking car, too, and with a chassis that leans into the outrageously good Civic Type-R, it has the handling smarts to back up its appearance. Sure, it could use more than the 181bhp it currently has, but the e-motor means it feels like 250 or so. Honda’s non-conformism doesn’t always pay off, but we like this one a lot. (Prices start at £40,995.)
Century
Visitors to Tokyo will know of Toyota’s upscale Century, a V12-powered limo that has cycled through just three generations since its arrival in 1967. Now Toyota is preparing to boost Century as a standalone brand – and has Bentley and Rolls-Royce in its sights. “I believe now more than ever, we need the Century,” said Toyota kingpin and family scion Akio Toyoda at the recent Tokyo Mobility show. “The name is said to represent the hundredth anniversary of the Meiji era, and of the birth of Toyota Group’s founder. For me, it is about creating the next one hundred years.” The Century concept suggests that the first product of the new sub-brand might be a high-riding, quasi-SUV. There’s a single-seat focus with an off-set passenger one for maximum legroom, so either the lucky owner will use it on high days and holidays, or cede responsibility to their chauffeur. Inside you’ll find the customary conceptual luxury materials but with a firmly Japanese emphasis – so there’s glass and woven materials. By promoting Century, Toyota’s other luxury diffusion line, Lexus, risks a loss of identity. Not so, according to Toyota’s chief branding officer, British expat Simon Humphries. “In a sense, Lexus will be freer to act. Lexus should continue to take on challenges as a pioneer. Century will take on the high-end market as the top of the top, one of one.” For proof, Lexus showed a six-wheeled LS van, a dazzling Sport Concept (which could be the first to receive the game-changing solid state batteries Toyota says will be here by 2028), and the single-seater Micro LS self-driving pod in Tokyo. The Chinese invasion may be at full tilt, but the Japanese aren’t ready to surrender the high ground just yet.
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