Honda Australia is examining ways to broaden the Prelude range, potentially allowing performance parts from renowned Japanese tuner Mugen to reach buyers through official Honda channels for the first time.

The Prelude reappeared in Australia during May 2026 following a gap of more than twenty years. Although a high-performance Type R edition is not planned immediately, the company has left the door open for additional equipment on the hybrid coupe.

"We are examining several options that could introduce extra features to the Prelude throughout its production run," Honda Australia director Rob Thorp told CarExpert.

One possibility involves Mugen components, following the tuner’s unveiling of a specially equipped Prelude variant in Japan.

The package features front and rear under spoilers, an additional rear wing, a rear diffuser, and carbon-fibre side skirts. Mugen also supplies a sports exhaust system for the model.

Mugen Japan appointed Garage IMMI as its new Australian distributor in June, marking the first formal distribution deal in the country for some time.

"The Mugen portion of our operations remains an area of interest," Mr Thorp told CarExpert. "It is something we have not been able to develop locally to any great extent so far, yet we are actively progressing plans."

Mugen, now operating as M-TEC, was established in 1973 by Hirotoshi Honda, son of company founder Soichiro Honda. It develops performance packages for Honda road cars and participates in various forms of motorsport, including Formula 1.

Its Australian range covers more than the Prelude alone, encompassing parts for the current Civic Type R as well as classic models such as the S2000 and the original NSX.

The remarks from the Honda Australia director follow closely after rival Nissan, which is in talks with Honda over a possible worldwide alliance, revealed plans to launch its first local Nismo Performance Centre in Melbourne later this year.

The facility will mark the initial Nismo outlet outside Japan and is set to expand throughout Australia and New Zealand. It will supply performance components for the Nissan Z coupe together with classic models including the celebrated R32 Skyline GT-R.

In a similar move, Toyota Australia has indicated it is assessing dedicated showrooms for its GR performance division to display vehicles such as the GR86 coupe and possible future returns of the MR2 and Celica sports cars.