Skywell BE11 SUV

150kW Standard Range 72kWh 5dr Auto [2024]

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Yes, we hear you. ‘What on earth’s a Skywell BE11?’. If the name is intriguing, the backstory is, too.

Skywell Auto is the latest Chinese automotive manufacturer to tempt the UK public - and its first car, an electric SUV, has just arrived on our shores.

Many long-established Chinese car makers have never offered a car here before - and neither has Skywell. But the key difference? Skywell isn’t long-established.

While the fully-electric BE11 is Skywell's first car in the UK, it's only Skywell's second car, despite its roots tracing back more than 35 years.

So, what’s taken so long?

Skyworth Auto is a joint venture, started in 2017 between two Chinese companies founded in 1988: bus manufacturer Skywell Group and household appliance manufacturer Skyworth Group.

The latter makes TVs, digital set-top boxes, refrigerators and washing machines. But let's not mock it, because it’s partly following in the footsteps of fellow Chinese competitor Geely. This firm started out manufacturing refrigerator parts in the mid-1980s, and today is the owner or major shareholder of Volvo, Polestar, Smart, and Lotus.

The BE11 EV is a mid-size SUV, the first of several models headed this way. Skywell plans to have fifty UK-based dealers by the end of 2025, with a fifth already up and running.

On the face of it, the BE11 looks like it ticks plenty of boxes – and we've got our hands on a model.

So, does Skywell have a bright, blue-sky future?