√Ex-HSV designer reveals Callum Skye electric off-roader

Scottish designer Ian Callum and his team have developed their first complete vehicle, an electric off-roader, set to go on sale in 2024.

The Callum Skye off-road electric concept car has been unveiled in the UK and will go into limited production in 2024 wearing the Callum badge.

It is the first car conceptualised, designed and engineered by Callum – the firm established by designer Ian Callum in 2019 after a successful career at Ford, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover, and HSV, among others.

Markedly different from anything currently produced by Callum’s former employers, the four-seat Skye is a compact off-roader built on a spaceframe chassis.

It measures 4047mm long – longer than a Toyota Yaris but shorter than a Toyota Corolla – yet at 1900mm is wider than a Toyota HiLux.

No figure is given for ground clearance, described as ‘appropriate’ in the company statement, but there is more detail on its electric powertrain.

Callum has confirmed the Skye will use a 42kWh lithium-ion battery to provide an estimated 273 kilometres of range from a pair of electric motors, with a claimed acceleration of 0-60mph (0-96km/h) in less than four seconds.

This is helped by a relatively light 1150kg weight – the electric Nissan Leaf weighs 1736kg, for comparison – with driving dynamics enhanced by 50/50 weight distribution.

Charging the battery is also rapid, with Callum claiming an empty-to-full recharge takes less than 10 minutes.

Two versions will be offered at launch – one focused on on-road driving, the second with an off-road guise.

A production run of approximately 50 Skye per year will be built at Callum’s 1858 square-meter facility in Warwick, UK with further details – including pricing and final specification – to be announced by the middle of 2024 ahead the start of production.

While the Skye will be sold under the Callum name, the company also produces ‘white label’ design and engineering services for other manufacturers and will continue to do so alongside its own products.

Ian Callum left Jaguar after revitalising the brand’s design, but Australians may know him from his time working for Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR) in the 1990s, where Callum was responsible for the look of several generations of Holden Special Vehicles cars.

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