The Callum Skye has been revealed as an all-terrain luxurious electrical car (EV) from famed automotive designer Ian Callum.
The Skye was revealed in a video displaying the futuristic off-roader leaping from the streets of New York Metropolis to meandering mountain roads and snowy slopes.
The compact all-wheel-drive electrical SUV shall be optimised for probably the most excessive situations adventurous off-road drivers can discover, however can be set to be homologated for the highway after prototypes start testing at first of subsequent yr.
Designed and engineered fully in-house by the Warwick-based agency, the high-riding mannequin named for the rocky Scottish island shall be ultra-limited – doubtlessly to fewer than 50 models a yr.
Callum is a boutique design and engineering agency based by Scotsman Ian Callum – a famend automotive designer with fashions such because the Aston Martin DB7 and Vanquish to his identify.
A 2+2 structure within the cabin encapsulates driver and passengers in an inside which the model says is pushed by driver expertise, simplicity, and sustainability.
“It has been designed to exceed expectations: minimal mass, most functionality – exceptionally usable and an absolute pleasure to drive,” Ian Callum stated on the Skye.
Considerably resembling the Odyssey 21 electrical rally SUV raced within the Excessive E electrical rally championship, the Callum Skye has a deeply hollowed aspect ‘accent loop’ flanked by pronounced, shelf-like shoulders.
An expansive glass windshield stretches right into a sunroof reaching proper again to the rear finish, whereas there are convex home windows that additional improve this one-piece visible impact.
With solely two doorways and a dramatically raked roofline, it’s clear the mannequin’s 2+2 configuration prioritises driver expertise somewhat than passenger consolation or inside house.
Emphasis has been positioned on making the car as light-weight as potential utilizing carbon fibre components – it’s anticipated to weigh lower than 1150kg.
A 42kWh lithium-ion battery pack will ship a claimed vary of round 275km.
Callum claims the SUV could make the 0 to 100km/h dash in beneath 4 seconds.
The Skye is described by the agency as a “high-performance multi-terrain electrical car, created for discerning homeowners in search of extraordinary on- and off-road adventures.”
At simply over 4 metres lengthy, the Skye Callum is a really compact 4WD comparable in dimension to fashions such because the Jeep Avenger.
Callum’s engineering director, Adam Donfrancesco, says the agency has created a ‘versatile car’ that’s not solely visually spectacular however exceeds ‘uncompromisingly excessive useful targets’.
Mr Donfrancesco confirmed that the house body linked with carbon-fibre joints is a design distinctive to Callum – it will likely be partnered with absolutely unbiased, equally weighted suspension out there in two specs to prioritise both off-road or paved driving.
David Fairbairn, Callum’s managing director, is assured the staff has been in a position to tackle a void available in the market with an off-road EV that ‘doesn’t have an environmental impression’.
Pricing hasn’t been confirmed, however prospects can count on a luxurious price ticket to match the bespoke, handcrafted nature of the car.
Ian Callum sat down with CarExpert again in 2020 to speak about his assorted profession within the automobile business and his connection to Australia by means of Ford and Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR), plus his time at Jaguar.
Talking on the Jaguar I-Tempo’s proportions, Mr Callum stated “I didn’t need it to appear to be an SUV. SUVs are typically very vertical, and I wished this to have size. What I found is if you happen to raise it excessive, you probably have a sure dynamic it nonetheless seems to be like a automobile versus an SUV.”
Though the Skye has spectacular trip peak and wheel clearance, the mannequin channels the sentiment above with its compact, coupe-esque silhouette.
MORE: Q&A with Ian Callum: Half 1
MORE: Q&A with Ian Callum: Half 2