The head of Jaguar and Land Rover design – who can count overseeing the Type 00 concept on his CV – has reportedly been “asked to leave”, a week after the UK car maker appointed a new CEO.
The designer who oversaw the styling of the controversial Jaguar Type 00 concept – as well as two decades of Land Rover production cars, including the reborn Defender – has reportedly been shown the door.
Jaguar Land Rover chief creative officer Gerry McGovern was “asked to leave the firm” on Monday, according to the UK’s Autocar and sister title Autocar India, citing inside “sources”.
The reports claim McGovern’s position has been “terminated with immediate effect,” and that, according to the Indian outlet, he was “escorted out of the office”.
MORE: Jaguar Land Rover faces job cuts overseas amid declining global sales
A JLR spokesperson told Autocar “no comment” when pressed on the matter.
It comes a week after Jaguar Land Rover appointed a new CEO, PB Balaji, an executive from parent company India’s Tata Motors.
The UK-born designer joined Land Rover in 2004 as Director of Advanced Design – after a brief stint working at a design consultancy, preceded by Land Rover’s parent Ford – before expanding his reach to Jaguar design in 2013.
The last two decades of Land Rovers and Range Rovers have been styled under McGovern’s watch, including the reborn Land Rover Defender launched in 2019, and the latest full-size Range Rover introduced in 2021.
MORE: Jaguar Type 00 electric sedan continues testing with controversial looks
Among his more recent work is the Type 00 concept, a show car intended to preview the reboot of the Jaguar brand as a higher-end maker of electric cars.
It is the star of a widely-criticised advertising campaign to accompany the brand’s relaunch, which focused on unconventionally-dressed models and graphics in place of cars – and has even come under fire from US President Donald Trump.
The production version of the Jaguar Type 00 coupe concept is due to be revealed with four doors next year.
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