Recently awarded a gold medal at the 2nd Hainan International Designer Competition for its design, Skywell’s Skyworth Skyhome prototype debuted at the International MotorXpo (IMXpo) held in Hong Kong. Skyworth vehicles are also sold under the brands of Elaris and Imperium overseas.
Skyworth Auto is a brand under Jiangsu Skywell Autobomile founded in 2018 by Stephen Wong, who is also a founder of the Skyworth Group.
The Skyhome EV sits on the new CE architecture. It has two e-motors on board for 460 kW (617 hp). It can achieve 0 – 100 km/h in 3.5 seconds. The new EV supports 800V charging, reaching 490 km on a 10-minute charge. A single-motor model will also be available.
The side profile of the prototype has a sloping roof design. The frameless suicide doors open to show no physical B-pillars. The retractable cornice wings can tilt upward to increase 5% resistance as emergency braking is applied. Although Skyhome’s official dimensions have not been released, the large sedan is similarly sized to the Avatr 12 and the Zeekr 001. The lack of B-pillars raises concerns about its structural rigidity. However, it is still a prototype. Whether this will be incorporated into the mass-production model is yet to be determined.
At the Skyworth booth, they explained the reasoning behind the Skyhome name. It is to provide a home-like environment. It features a 4’9” screen on an ergonomic dashboard, a yoke-style steering wheel, immersive ambient lights, and a panoramic sunroof. Side mirrors were replaced by cameras.
The infotainment system is powered by Qualcomm 8295 chipset running Skyworth’s Xiaowei GPT. The rear passengers can experience a flexible TV screen with a mini-fridge.
Skyhome needs a home-run at home. Skyworth sells models EV6 and HT-i in China. Compared to the same time last year (from January to November), EV6 sales have dropped 36% from 14168 to 9125 vehicles. HT-i was released in January 2023. It only sold 7727 units till October 2023.
At IMXpo, Skyworth claimed the Skyhome is 90% production-ready. It will head into full production in 2024, planning to bring it outside China. Stay tuned for future updates.
