'He was escorted out of the office': Award-winning car designer Gerry McGovern 'sacked' by JLR after 24 years
Gerry McGovern, the man behind Jaguar's controversial redesign, has been sacked from his role at West Midland car maker Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), according to reports.
McGovern, best known as the designer of the MGF sports car and the Land Rover Freelander, was reportedly escorted out of his office after 21 years with the company, although the reasons for his departure are not yet known.
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The 69-year-old, who also designed the Range Rover Evoque and the new Land Rover Defender, was considered to be an influential figure on JLR’s board and was highly rated by the late Ratan Tata, founder of JLR's Indian parent company.
However, he was heavily criticised for his role in Jaguar's controversial brand redesign, which included a new Jaguar logo, a badly received promotional video, and the Type 00 concept car which received a very mixed review from critics.
No new Jaguar cars have been sold since 2024, when the company announced it would be suspending production ahead of the launch of new electric models next year.
JLR has refused to comment on McGovern's dismissal, but it comes a week after PB Balaji was appointed chief executive, following the retirement of Adrian Mardell. Balaji was previously finance director of Tata Motors, and it has been suggested that his appointment may be seen as the Indian parent company tightening its grip on JLR's operations in the Midlands.
JLR has its headquarters in Coventry, and plants in Wolverhampton, Castle Bromwich, Solihull and Halewood in Merseyside.
McGovern grew up in Coventry, and while still at school he was spotted by Chrysler design boss Roy Axe. Chrysler sponsored his studies at Lanchester Polytechnic, now Coventry University, and after an initial spell working at the company's design studios in Coventry, he went to work for the company in Detroit in 1978.
In 1982 he was reunited with Axe at the Austin Rover Group, where he worked on the MG EX-E concept car, was the lead designer of the MG F sports car and the Land Rover Freelander and led the team that created the third-generation Range Rover.
In 1999 he was recruited by Ford to rejuvenate its Lincoln-Mercury luxury brands, and was appointed design director of Land Rover in 2004, following Ford's acquisition of the company.
He was made an OBE in 2020 for services to automotive design.
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