Why Did These 3 Malaysians Pay RM278k For This New Prelude

Honda Malaysia held an exclusive appreciation event for the first three owners of the 6th-generation Honda Prelude .

Launched in June this year with a price tag of RM278,000 for a 203 PS hybrid coupe that is full imported, many of our readers were not convinced that there will be interested Malaysians to take home this sleek seductive looking coupe.

Well, the price tag might seem steep for many, but for these three buyers, Gan Ker Beng, Wahiduzaman Abu Kashim and Dr. Davina Navreet Kaur it was a dream car realised and each had distinct, personal motivations for signing the booking form.

For Gan Ker Beng (an entrepreneur from Johor Bahru) it was all about fulfilling a youth dream and desire.

Gan admired the older generations of the Prelude when he was younger but could not afford one at the time. Buying the new Prelude was a “dream come true” and a way to reconnect with fond memories and his long-time affinity for the Honda brand.

Despite owning faster sports cars, he prefers driving the Prelude because of the unique emotional connection and driver engagement it offers, proving that for him, it’s not purely about raw horsepower or speed.

For Wahiduzaman Abu Kashim (who is a business owner from Kuala Lumpur) it was a lifestyle & and Honda loyalty choice.

This man is a die-hard Honda performance enthusiast who currently owns track-focused Honda machines like the FK8 and FL5 Civic Type R, so this just added to his collection.

As his daily lifestyle evolved, he wanted a balance between sports-car driver engagement and everyday GT (Grand Tourer) comfort. He bought it because this Honda Prelude retains Honda’s driver-focused engineering while being a much smoother, practical daily drive.

Dr. Davina Navreet Kaur (who is an Endodontist) it was the design nostalgia & emotional spark.

Marking her first-ever Honda purchase, her decision was sparked by childhood memories of watching a relative drive a classic Prelude. The sleek, modern 2+2 grand touring silhouette connected with that early visual memory.

Beyond their personal stories, the new Prelude offers a specialised mechanical package that appeals to this niche group which is much wider than most would expect.

Civic Type R Hardware Underneath: It borrows suspension, adaptive dampers, uniform-rigidity driveshafts, and 13.8-inch Brembo brakes directly from the track-ready FL5 Civic Type R.

Grand Tourer Refinement: Instead of being an aggressive track weapon, it is tuned as a smooth, efficient daily GT car with an e:HEV hybrid powertrain paired with the interactive S+ Shift (which simulates 8-speed gear changes and engine notes).

In Honda’s local lineup, it sits right between the standard Civic RS (priced from RM167k) and the hard-core Civic Type R (which is at RM400k brand new), offering high handling dynamics without the harsh everyday ride.