JLR fired design director Gerry McGovern
Jaguar Land Rover fired design director Gerry McGovern, reported Autocar and Autocar India citing their own sources within the company.
Rumor has it that the chief creative director was asked to leave the company on Monday, and his position was abolished with immediate effect.
An Autocar India source claims that McGovern was "escorted out of the office under security," although the exact reasons for the incident are not yet known.
Official JLR representatives declined to comment. The parent company Tata Motors has also not commented on the situation yet.
The details of the decision remain unclear, but it occurred just a week after the new CEO PB Balaji — former CFO of Tata Motors — replaced the retiring Adrian Mardell. This may signal that the Indian parent company of JLR is seeking even tighter control over the British carmaker.
Jaguar Type 00 Concept. Illustration: Jaguar
McGovern was considered a very influential figure on the JLR board and was a favorite of the late Ratan Tata, former chairman of Tata Group.
This marked the end of McGovern's 21-year career at JLR, filled with bright achievements.
McGovern was responsible for the modern reinterpretation of the Defender, helped maintain the popularity of the four-model Range Rover lineup, and reinvented Jaguar for the transition to solely electric vehicle production, including creating the highly controversial Type 00 concept. He also played a key role in JLR's Reimagine strategy in 2021.
Before JLR, McGovern worked on the MG EXE concept, the MGF roadster, and the first Land Rover Freelander at British Leyland. He then joined Ford in 1999, leading the Lincoln-Mercury brands and opening studios in California. He returned to the UK to run a design consultancy in London before rejoining Land Rover in 2004.
Source: Autocar
