Callum Skye: first look inside the radical, British-built EV
Callum has revealed the interior of the new Skye – a mould-breaking, British-made electric off-roader, due in 2026.
The Skye’s cabin is surprisingly spacious for a compact car, including two child-sized rear seats that fold down to boost luggage capacity. Its minimalist aesthetic is combined with high-end materials, plus near-endless scope for personalisation.
I sat inside the Skye at a special preview in central London, then spoke to Callum’s chief designer about the car and what to expect when the production version arrives in 2026.
A history of great design
A quick recap first: Callum is a design and engineering consultancy established by Ian Callum CBE, who spent 20 years as design director at Jaguar. Highlights from Ian Callum’s career include the F-Type, 2009 XJ and C-X75 concept, along with the Aston Martin Vanquish and Ford Puma coupe.
One of Callum’s first projects was to give the original Vanquish the restomod treatment, with brawnier styling, more power and a six-speed manual gearbox. We drove the Callum Vanquish 25 in 2020, saying: ‘While its powertrain feels old-school, the Vanquish has impressively modern manners. Its ride is supple enough for British B-roads, yet controlled enough to inspire confidence. The steering bristles with detail and the chassis seems to roll up its sleeves and work with you, only shifting from neutrality to oversteer if provoked.’
More recently, Callum has also revisited the Jaguar C-X75 – famous for its role in James Bond film, Spectre – making it road-legal and fitting a supercharged V8 engine. However, the Skye is the first vehicle developed by the company from a clean slate.
For road or rough terrain
Intended as an all-terrain sports car, or even a ‘Tarmac rally car’, the Skye is propelled by two electric motors (one on each axle) and a 42kWh lithium-ion battery, providing a range of about 170 miles.
Power and torque outputs of 250hp and 227lb ft respectively, combined with target dry weight of 1,150kg, should mean 0-62mph in less than four seconds. Advanced battery tech could allow a full charge in just 10 minutes, too.
Two specifications will be offered. The ‘dynamic’ car seen here is targeted at sporty road driving, while the ‘capable’ version is designed for rough terrain, from sand dunes to ski slopes. Callum is aiming to build 50 cars per year, at prices ranging from £80,000 to £110,000.
Inside the Callum Skye
I first explore the interior of the Skye using a virtual reality headset, which is impressive but quite disorientating. Then I jump aboard prototype number 001 – finished in Callum’s signature shade of ‘Vitamin C’ orange – with head of design, Aleck Jones.
The windows are made of Perspex and many of the switches are dummies, but this car shows how the finished cabin will look. Its most striking feature is a ‘blade-like’ centre console that divides the front seats. The two protruding rotary controls for heating and ventilation feature inset touchscreens, while the lower buttons are haptic touchpads.
The horizontal bar graphic that runs around the exterior of the Skye is also visible inside, dividing beetle-wing doors that will have glass panels in their upper and lower sections – allowing you to see the road below while driving.
Tartan and tech
From the driver’s seat, the view is of two large, chronograph-like rotary dials, which sit behind domed glass. The speedometer on the left also shows motor and battery temperature, while the dial on the right shows power usage in kilowatts, plus the battery charge status and remaining range.
The Skye’s seats are trimmed in plush leather from Bridge of Weir (which supplies Aston Martin, Rolls-Royce, McLaren and other luxury brands), while the floor has a grippy, rubberised finish. More bright white leather is used on the rear bench seat, with Callum’s signature ‘deconstructed tartan’ digitally printed on the door cards.
A pleasingly modest central touchscreen offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity. And if those air vents look familiar, that’s because they come from a Volvo.
The Skye’s the limit
“When you’re trying to make a luxury interior that feels lightweight and agile, you need to be really clever about it,” explains Aleck Jones. “Working for an OEM, as I did at Jaguar Land Rover, the engineering requirements can soon water down a design. Thankfully, this is very much our own project. It’s been a case of working things out as we go along.”
Asked what the Skye’s rivals might be, Jones says: “There’s nothing quite like it. The Ariel Nomad is one possible comparison, but that car is more straightforward in its design and purpose. The Skye is designed to be genuinely usable every day, and its cab-forward proportions mean there’s more space in the back than you might expect.”
One interesting option could be paintwork in Callum’s Colour of the Year, recently named for 2025 as Aqua Mist: a ‘fresh pastel blend of green and blue’. Although it will be 2026 before the first customers take delivery, of course.
Interested? You can reserve a build slot now with a £500 deposit. And we’re hoping to get behind the wheel sometime next year. You can read our verdict first here.
Tim Pitt writes for Motoring Research