JLR has axed design boss Gerry McGovern, sources inside the firm have told Autocar and Autocar India.
It is understood that the brand’s chief creative officer was asked to leave the firm on Monday and his position was terminated with immediate effect.
Autocar India's source suggested McGovern was "escorted out of the office", although the exact details as to why are not yet known.
When approached, a spokesperson for JLR replied: "No comment." Parent company Tata Motors has not yet responded.
Further circumstances around the decision are light on detail, but it comes just a week after new CEO PB Balaji – formerly finance boss of Tata Motors – took over from the retiring Adrian Mardell, potentially signalling that JLR's India-based parent could be angling for an even tighter grip on the British car maker.
McGovern was considered a hugely influential figure on JLR’s board and was a favourite of the late Ratan Tata, former chairman of the wider Tata Group.
It brings to an end a 21-year career at JLR for McGovern that has been filled with highlights.
The Coventry-born designer is responsible for the modern-day reinvention of the Defender, helping to keep the four-car Range Rover line-up ever popular and reinventing Jaguar for its transition into an electric-only car maker, which includes creating the highly controversial Type 00 Concept (below).
Before JLR, McGovern worked on the MG EXE concept car, the MGF roadster and the first Land Rover Freelander while at British Leyland. He then moved to Ford in 1999 to head up the Lincoln‑Mercury brands, setting up studios in California. He returned to the UK to run a design consultancy in London before rejoining Land Rover in 2004.
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Absolutey nailed it with all versions of the Defender and judging by the waiting lists and sales figurers the public agree.
Stunning.
I got the impression that Ian Callum left because he was fed up fighting with management to modernise Jaguar's designs all the time. And what he did was incredible; the cars are timeless. He even made an SUV look like a sports coupe, and few could do that.
But after the Thierry Bollore putting McGovern above Julian Thomson I'm sure that was why Thomson left. Plus that McGovern has taken credit for every Range Rover based upon Thomson's LRX concept, which became the Evoke and styled every Range Rover afterwards.
McGovern must have convinced the board he could deliver more sales with his long wanted Range Rover saloon, only this time under the Jaguar name. And also useing Bollore's plan of going EV only, based upon the Boston Consultancy Group's report that got Bollore fired from Renault.
Every marque that's dipped their toes into EVs are retreating and going back to doing Hybrids. It was obvious, and I have said it many times, Jaguar should have walked through a hybrid period whilst moving towards EV. Every other company that has done this not only is in a better position sales wise, but still has the ability to adjust their offering to suit customer demand. Jaguar doesn't, and is dead.
Has Gerry McGovern been fired because of the Thierry Bollore plan to go EV that killed off Jaguar?