Report: JLR fires designer of the Land Rover Defender

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) just experienced a shakeup after the British automaker reportedly fired its Chief Creative Officer, Gerry McGovern. You read right, the man who designed the all-new Defender and the controversial Jaguar Type 00 has reportedly been terminated from his role in JLR.

According to a report by AutoCar UK, JLR reportedly axed the Chief Creative Officer from his role with immediate effect and was asked to leave the company. What’s more surprising is that McGovern was apparently “escorted out of the building”, although no other details have yet to surface.

The exact details as to why McGovern was axed from the company remain a mystery. However, there is speculation that this was the result of JLR CEO Adrian Mardell retiring from his role. He was then succeeded by newly appointed CEO PB Balaji, who was formerly the finance boss of Tata Motors, the parent company of Jaguar Land Rover.

With a Tata executive leading the British firm, it looks like Tata Motors wants more creative control (and perhaps financial control) of Jaguar Land Rover.

McGovern’s sudden termination from JLR comes as a surprise since he had an influential role in the design of Land Rover vehicles through the years. He penned the first-ever Range Rover Evoque, designed the third-generation Range Rover (codenamed L322), and was also responsible for the design of the Discovery 4.

McGovern also penned the fourth and fifth generations of the Range Rover, the Discovery Sport, and the New Defender, which has become the brand’s most popular model to date. As mentioned earlier, McGovern also had a hand in Jaguar’s electric transformation and creating the Jaguar Type 00, which garnered mixed reactions from enthusiasts.

With JLR’s Chief Creative Officer reportedly booted from the company, we’re curious as to what design direction Jaguar Land Rover will head, given that the company appears to be at a crossroads.