The absence of any of the usual concept-car glam such as hidden door handles, trick lighting, or oversize wheels, and the fact that the release date for this vehicle is this fall, leads us to believe that, in typical Honda fashion, the Honda Accord Coupe concept is less a concept than a production prototype.

Appearing to have been styled as a coupe from the beginning, the Accord concept has a much bolder, more distinct look than its predecessor, a car that merely looked like a truncated sedan, an afterthought. A strong, upright grille and front fascia on the concept are flanked by long headlamps that wrap around deep into the fenders, seemingly stretching all the way to the center of the wheel opening. The roofline begins its descent almost from the A-pillar, meeting the abbreviated, sloping trunk atop a moderately bulging rear fender with the rear-window beltline kink that seems to be popping up everywhere.

At launch, the ’08 Accord will again be offered with a choice of in-line four and V-6 engines – no new ‘clean’ diesel until 2009 – but with a hybrid following soon after. Despite flat-lining sales of the current Accord hybrid, Honda is sticking with a green version so as to stay in the game with the new Camry, Altima, and Saturn Aura gas-electrics.

Quadruple exhaust outlets set into the bumper of the concept signal the performance potential of the coupe, which Honda says will be offered with a more powerful and fuel efficient V-6 than the mill in the current car—possibly a version of the new, 300-hp 3.7-liter V-6 that’s in the Acura MDX—as well as Variable Cylinder Management, Honda’s cylinder-deactivation system when the '08 Accord hits showrooms in the fall of 2007.