Callum has demonstrated the Skye, an electric off-road car, and provided information about its capabilities. The Skye will have a 13.7-inch ground clearance and a space-frame body. It will weigh about 2,600 pounds and be able to travel about 170 miles between charges. The company says that “curated variants” will be for sale all over Europe by spring 2024. No one knows for sure if it will work in the United States. Ian Callum is one of the most famous car designers in the world. He used to be the styling head for Aston Martin and Jaguar. Because of this, his collection of important designs includes the i-Pace and the DB7. Without a doubt, the Callum Skye is very different from those other boats. After leaving Jaguar in 2019, Callum started his own company called Callum with a few other people who used to work for JLR. We saw the company’s first project, a luxurious restaurant of the original Aston Martin Vanquish, in 2020. Callum seems to have done a lot of “white label” work for other cars since then that hasn’t been recorded. It is currently aiming to release a brand-new car under its name. These projected images show a light-weight electric vehicle that could be that car. Skye will have a space-frame chassis, all-wheel drive, and full off-road capability thanks to what engineering head Adam Donfrancesco says will be up to 21.6 inches of wheel travel and 13.7 inches of ground clearance. The name comes from the name of a Scottish island. The Skye’s total length of 159 inches and width of 74.8 inches make it look like a side-by-side coupe, but it will be much bigger. In addition, we were told that the inside would have two + two seats. Callum is trying to decide what to call it, too. “I like the idea that you can’t really categorize it,” he said when we called him and Don Francesco. In that way, it’s like the i-Pace in that people have to come to their own opinions. It needs to be able to handle city life as well, but I’m sure it will be one of the best off-road cars ever. Don Francesco confirmed that the carbon-fiber links used to connect the Skye space frame’s metal parts are unique to Callum and will not be shared with any other company. The body will be made of hybrid materials that are light and strong. There will be two different ways for the suspension to move, and owners will be able to change how much ground clearance the car has. A 42.0 kWh lithium-ion battery provides power, but there are plans for a rapid charging option that will allow the battery to be fully charged in just 10 minutes. When it comes out, the Skye should weigh only 2,535 pounds, which is very light for an electric car with a fixed 50/50 weight spread. CALLUM hasn’t said how much power it has, but the goal of going from 0 to 60 mph in less than four seconds suggests that it will have at least 300 horsepower. Even though this isn’t like any of his other designs, it’s still clearly Ian Callum’s work. For example, the roofline has a slight slope, and the front and rear fenders are beautifully carved. Callum stresses the significance of achieving a one-of-a-kind appearance. “The top is clearly a sports car profile, with an off-roader lower down.” When driving off-road, double-glazed doors are advantageous since they make it easier to keep a clear view of what’s going on below both beautiful and useful. As of now, one Skye is being built every seven days at Callum’s plant in Warwick, England. However, customers won’t be able to get their cars until 2025. The cost has not yet been made available to the general public. It won’t be as much as the $600,000 (plus gift car) that was asked for the Vanquish 25, but we still can’t believe something so small and fine could be so cheap. Callum’s current plan is to sell the Skye only in Europe, but Donfrancesco says that getting federal-type clearance in the US, which would cost more and be harder to do, is being thought about.
