Skywell benefits from being a part of Chinese conglomerate, Skyworth Group, a popular household name in China for nearly 40 years. To provide reassurance, Skyworth Group have announced their support of the UK business by offering UK customers their own £3,750 EV incentive.
Until the end of September, UK retail buyers of the Skywell BE11 could already benefit from a £6,000 dealer finance deposit contribution. The BE11 range now starts from just £27,245 – for the 72kWh Standard Range and the BE11 Long Range with its 86kWh battery – capable of 304miles (WLTP) – is now priced from just £30,245 (after incentive and finance deposit are included).
David Clark, general manager of Skywell UK, said: “A number of caveats, and requirements have been set by the Government before any vehicle is approved onto the new electric car grant scheme, which has left manufacturers, dealers and customers in limbo.
“We want to start this process immediately, but we must first gather all the required documentation from Skywell, which could take many months. Consumers need confidence and definitive answers, and we should not subject them to further delays.”
Rosy He, sales director for Skyworth, said: “We have seen the UK Government apply automotive incentives previously for UK consumers to great effect. The ‘Scrappage Scheme’ and ‘Plug-In Car Grant’ offered previously, worked well to boost the UK economy and automotive industries.
“However, the recently announced Electric Car Grant comes with a number of restrictions, and requirements not seen previously, which may delay Skywell’s participation in the scheme, whilst we gather the required document and request approval. We will of course work with the UK Government, in hope our vehicles can be eligible for the scheme.
“We want to show UK customers that we fully support the shift to electrification. We know the Skywell BE11 is a great value proposition and have already seen popularity from family buyers and business users alike across other markets. We also want to remove barriers for UK retail buyers in the shift to electrification with removing the price cap set by the government to the scheme, therefore allowing both BE11 models to be available for our incentive.”