Design chief Gerry McGovern reportedly has been fired by Jaguar Land Rover as part of a broader corporate shake-up at the troubled automaker, according to a report from India, where JLR’s parent company is headquartered. More from Headlight.News.
JLR design chief Gerry McGovern reportedly fired.
Defiantly controversial, Gerry McGovern has never been shy about shaking things up. Now, however, the Jaguar Land Rover design chief has apparently been caught up in a shake-up not of his own making, a report out of India indicating McGovern was fired by the new CEO of JLR’s parent Tata Motors.
Such a move, if verified by the automaker, would come as little surprise to a number of industry observers and former colleagues who have been questioning some of the design moves made by both the Jaguar and Land Rover sides of the British-based automaker – especially the polarizing Jaguar Type 00 concept vehicle.
According to Autocar India, which quoted sources at the company, McGovern was “escorted out of the office” after being told he was fired.
“Never shy”
Gerry McGovern in his “rockstar” days.
Born in Coventry, England, the ancestral home of Jaguar, the 69-year-old McGovern was “never shy, never quiet,” said one source familiar with the designer from his days working at Ford Motor Co. where he oversaw styling of luxury brands including Lincoln and an assortment of European brands acquired by the Detroit automaker in the 1980s and 1990s. McGovern stayed with the combined Jaguar Land Rover when it was sold to Tata in 2008.
He had what another described as something of a “rockstar personality,” highlighted by a long, shaggy hairdo McGovern sported for many years – though he adopted a much more stylishly buttoned-down look under Tata.
McGovern’s unique sensibilities led to the crafting of some distinctly edgy, sometimes divisive designs. That included the latest version of the flagship Range Rover SUV, which was intended to move up-market with a softer, less traditional SUV look.
Type 00
McGovern helps debut the Type 00 concept in Miami in December 2024.
He took things to an even more extreme level with the Jaguar Type 00 concept introduced in December 2024 at Miami Art Week. The prototype anchored a major rebranding campaign marking what some described as “the end of Jaguar as we know it.” Long, low and angular, McGovern pitched it as something of a modern take on the brand’s classic sports cars. It was also meant to signal what would come as the brand also moved up-market – while transitioning to all-electric powertrains.
A splashy marketing campaign, featuring extreme fashions and models sporting transgender styles, added to the controversy, even drawing criticism from U.S. Pres. Donald Trump who complained about it being “woke.”
The ”new” Jaguar is currently scheduled to debut with the launch of a $130,000 EV next year – though there’ve been some questions bubbling up within automotive circles as to whether that plan might be revised considering the industry-wide pullback from EVs.
Asked about McGovern’s reported ouster, Sam Fiorani, lead analyst at AutoForecast Solutions, said “Nothing is really a surprise at the moment (considering) JLR is undergoing a lot of changes.” It’s very possible, Fiorani added, that JLR, or at least the more troubled Jaguar brand, might move “to reposition itself” differently from what had been planned over the last several years.
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Troubles ahead
McGovern won’t be around to see the debut of Jaguar’s first new EV early next year.
The good news for JLR is that the Land Rover side has been riding high on the shift from passenger cars to utility vehicles – especially in the key U.S. market. That same shift has hammered Jaguar, with the company not able to fully make the transition with crossovers like the E- and F-Pace lines.
Compounding JLR’s headaches, the company was hit by a massive ransomware attack in September which completely shut down manufacturing and other operations for more than six weeks. Industry analysts estimated the attack cost the company tens of thousands of sales and generated over a billion dollars in losses.
The attack came just before JLR’s parent Tata in November brought on new CEO PB Balaji. There were reports at the time that he would be considering major changes with the Indian company’s UK subsidiary. The apparent ouster of McGovern would back that up.
What else might happen is unclear. It would seem too late to scrap the launch of Jaguar’s first new EVs next year, cautioned one source close to the company. But it’s clear, said analyst Fiorani, this is “a sign they are honing their business plan.”
JLR has not responded to a request for comment on the report of McGovern’s ouster.
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