Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) designer Gerry McGovern, the man who led the design of the controversial 2024 Jaguar Type 00 concept, has reportedly been fired as chief creative officer after 21 years with the automaker.
Autocar India – based in the same country as JLR owner Tata – reports the British designer was dismissed with “immediate effect” and “escorted out of the office” at the Gaydon Design Studio in the UK.
Sister publication Autocar in the UK approached JLR for confirmation, a spokesperson responding with “No comment” on Mr McGovern’s status with the company.
The reports come after former Tata finance boss PB Balaji became CEO of JLR in November, replacing Adrian Mardell, who left the company for “personal reasons” two years into a three-year contract.
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The news also comes after Jaguar embarked on a dramatic brand reinvention, with Mr McGovern – as design lead over all JLR products – overseeing the controversial Type 00 concept, previewing one of a trio of new, more upmarket, electric-only vehicles for the luxury brand.
While Mr Mardell’s exit was seen as a consequence of the Type 00 concept’s polarising reception, the end of Mr McGovern’s tenure may also be fallout from the concept car and broader Jaguar brand direction.
According to JLR, Mr McGovern was “responsible for the creative direction and curation of the house of brands – Range Rover, Defender, Discovery and Jaguar – fundamental to the company’s vision to become the creators of the world’s most desirable automotive brands for the most discerning of clients”.
Mr McGovern had worked at JLR for more than two decades, with Autocar describing him as a favourite of the former chairman of the Tata Group, the late Ratan Tata, who died in 2024.
Mr McGovern’s career included time at Ford where he worked at its Lincoln and Mercury brands, as well as MG, where he was lead on the MG F sports car. He also designed the first Land Rover Freelander.
Rejoining Land Rover as director of advanced design in 2004, Mr McGovern worked opposite Ian Callum – who revitalised Jaguar design in the 2000s and 2010s – and reinvented the Defender.
Mr McGovern also led the design of the 2010 Range Rover (L322), second- and third-generation Range Rover Sport, 2009-2016 Discovery 4 and Range Rover Velar during his time at the automaker.
JLR is recovering from a cyber attack in September which saw it shut several factories around the world, at an estimated cost of £50 million ($A101 million) a week.
The latest Australian sales figures, including November sales, see Jaguar down nearly 30 per cent year-to-date, with Land Rover up 6.1 per cent led by the Defender as its most popular model.