- Ian Callum’s new company will begin low-volume production of a new high-riding electric sports car in 2026.
- It will cost up to $140,000 and offer a West Coast-inspired vibe, hopefully appealing to people living there who also have the money for one.
- Two versions will be offered: one purely for tarmac driving and another with raised suspension for sliding around a dirt track.
Ian Callum is most known for his 20-year stint as Jaguar’s chief of design, which lasted until 2019. Now he’s set up his own eponymous company, and its first ground-up new model is a very unusual-looking cross between a buggy and a sports car, which promises to be exceptionally light for an electric vehicle.
The Callum Skye weighs just over 2,500 pounds (1,150 kilograms) even with a 42-kilowatt-hour battery pack (good for a claimed range of 170 miles) and two electric motors. The dual-motor setup, which makes the Skye all-wheel drive, doesn’t have an especially high output—just 247 hp and 221 pound-feet—but its low weight, good traction and instant power delivery will make accelerating off the line very quick.
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Autocar talked to Ian Callum (whose last project at Jaguar was the stillborn electric XJ) about his latest creation, and the designer noted that it “is not just a pretty street car. It’s going to have real off-road capability. We’ve been working on this for two years so far, and now we’re ready to start developing prototypes. So now is the right time to let the world see it, and we’ll be in production within two years.”
The Skye will be a very limited-series vehicle, with only between 50 and 250 examples being built annually starting in 2026. Its price is estimated to be between $100,000 and $140,000, and it’s billed as good on both tarmac and dirt roads.
It looks the way it does because, according to Ian Callum, it is “a West Coast of America-inspired car. It’s an off-road car, it’s a sand car, it’s a mud car, and I think the West Coast will be where a lot of our customers are based.” It will be available in two versions called “The Dynamic” and “The Capable.”
Photo by: Callum
Photo by: Callum
The first will have a lower ground clearance and tires that maximize its performance on the tarmac and doors. The Capable will be something like an electric Ariel Nomad, with no doors, a taller ride height and off-road tires, which should make it far better at taking you over unpaved roads.
Inside, the Skye has a 2+2 layout, meaning it has two seats for the front occupants and two smaller rear seats for occasional use. It has a central infotainment screen (with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility) placed atop the dashboard, but facing the driver are traditional analog dials that not only show speed but also battery and drive unit temperature, power usage and state of charge. The steering wheel features a strap instead of a third prong, similar to the new Mini Cooper SE.
