Gerry McGovern reportedly removed from role of chief creative officer after 20 years with business
The Jaguar Land Rover design boss behind the Range Rover and the polarising Jaguar relaunch has abruptly departed the business just four months after its new chief executive took charge.
Gerry McGovern left the role of chief creative officer on Monday after 20 years at the business in which he oversaw the design of some of the companys most successful cars as well as the launch of a new-look, pink electric Jaguar that drew the ire of Donald Trump .
Britains largest carmaker appointed PB Balaji as chief executive in August. Balaji, an Indian national, was previously the chief financial officer of Tata Motors, the Indian owner of JLR.
Balaji was due to take over the reins of a business that was performing well, generating nearly three years of consecutive quarterly profits. However, any chance of a smooth transition was dashed by a crippling cyber-attack in August that stopped all production at JLRs factories.
JLR declined to comment on the departure and McGovern was still listed on the companys website on Wednesday. Autocar India, which first reported on McGoverns departure, said he had been removed with immediate effect.
David Bailey, a professor of business economics at the University of Birmingham, said the abrupt removal has sent shock waves through the automotive world. He said it would herald much more than a routine management reshuffle but rather the symbolic end of an era and was perhaps a sign that Tata was looking to exert more control.
McGovern returned to Land Rover in 2004 after an earlier stint and rose to be in charge of designing its key products, including its flagship Range Rover, its bestselling Range Rover Evoque and several other models.
His stewardship included hiring Victoria Beckham as a creative design executive in 2010. In 2017, tensions emerged after Beckham said at the launch of a special VB Evoque: Ive designed a car that I want to drive, a car I think [her husband] David wants to drive. McGovern later said : She didnt design the car Ive forgotten more than that woman will ever know about [car] designing C to be a car designer takes years.
McGovern was elevated to the role of JLRs chief creative officer in 2021 by the then chief executive, Thierry Bollor, giving him oversight of the struggling Jaguar brand as well. McGovern retained the role under Bollors successor, Adrian Mardell.
Bollor had scrapped an advanced plan for an electric Jaguar that followed on from previous models, and McGovern was tasked with completely overhauling the brand in an effort to end years of weak sales.
The product he came up with was a major departure from previous, fairly traditional Jaguars. The Type 00 targeted wealthy, younger, international buyers rather than going head to head with BMW as another executive saloon car. It featured a large, angular design with no rear window, and the initial concept design was shown in pink and electric blue.
The company faced a ferocious and at times hate-filled backlash from some quarters after a teaser campaign featured several androgynous models. Elon Musk and Trump criticised what Trump called a stupid, and seriously WOKE advertisement. McGovern, seen as assertive and sometimes combative by people with whom he has worked, said the car displayed fearless creativity.
McGoverns departure raises questions about how much of the concept car will survive into production, although prototype models were at a fairly advanced stage before the hack disrupted production plans. A person who has driven the car said it would wow drivers.
The new electric Range Rover overseen by McGovern will also be a crucial car in JLRs transition away from petrol and diesel. The design is nearly identical to the petrol version, but sales are expected to be delayed because of the cyber-attack. JLR had initially planned to make the first deliveries by the end of this year.
据报道，杰里·麦戈文（Gerry McGovern）在与公司共事20年后，被免去首席创意官一职。
曾主导路虎揽胜系列设计并引发争议的捷豹品牌重启的捷豹路虎设计总监，在新任首席执行官上任仅四个月后突然离职。
杰里·麦戈文（Gerry McGovern）周一卸任首席创意官一职，他在该公司任职20年期间，主导设计了多款最成功的车型，并推出了一款粉红色电动捷豹新车，该车型曾引发唐纳德·特朗普（Donald Trump）的不满。
英国最大汽车制造商于8月任命PB·巴拉吉（PB Balaji）担任首席执行官。这位印度籍高管此前曾担任捷豹路虎母公司印度塔塔汽车集团的首席财务官。
巴拉吉本应接手一家业绩良好的企业，该企业已连续近三年实现季度盈利。然而，8月一场严重的网络攻击使捷豹路虎（JLR）工厂全面停产，彻底打乱了平稳交接的可能。
捷豹路虎（JLR）拒绝对麦戈文离职一事置评，截至周三其姓名仍列于公司官网。印度《汽车》杂志率先报道了麦戈文的离职消息，称其已被即刻免职。
伯明翰大学商业经济学教授戴维·贝利表示，此次突然的免职"在整个汽车行业引发了震动"。他指出，这预示着"远非一次常规的管理层改组"，而是"一个时代的象征性终结"，或许也表明塔塔集团正寻求加强控制权。
麦戈文（McGovern）曾在路虎（Land Rover）有过一段工作经历，并于2004年重返该公司，随后晋升为关键产品设计负责人，其负责项目包括旗舰车型揽胜（Range Rover）、畅销车型揽胜极光（Range Rover Evoque）以及多款其他车型。
在他的管理下，维多利亚·贝克汉姆于2010年被聘为创意设计总监。2017年，贝克汉姆在特别版VB Evoque发布会上声称“我设计了一辆自己想开的车，一辆我认为我丈夫大卫也想开的车”，随后引发了争议。麦戈文事后回应称：“她并未参与车辆设计——我对汽车设计的了解远超她的认知范畴，成为一名汽车设计师需要多年积累。”
麦戈文于2021年被时任首席执行官蒂埃里·博洛雷提拔为捷豹路虎（JLR）的首席创意官，同时负责监管当时陷入困境的捷豹品牌。在博洛雷的继任者阿德里安·马德尔上任后，麦戈文继续担任这一职务。
博洛雷集团取消了基于前代车型开发电动捷豹的先进计划，麦戈文受命对该品牌进行全面改革，以扭转其多年销售疲软的局面。
他设计的这款产品与以往相当传统的捷豹车型截然不同。Type 00的目标客户是富有的年轻国际买家，而非与宝马正面竞争，打造又一款行政级轿车。该车型采用棱角分明的宽大设计，且没有后窗，最初的概念设计以粉红色和电光蓝亮相。
该公司因预告活动中启用多名中性风格模特而遭遇部分群体的猛烈抨击，其中不乏充满敌意的声音。埃隆·马斯克和特朗普均对此提出批评，后者称其为"愚蠢至极且严重政治正确的广告"。与麦戈文共事者认为他作风强硬且颇具斗争性，他本人则表示该车型展现了"无畏的创造力"。
麦戈文的离职引发了外界对这款概念车能有多少设计元素保留到量产阶段的疑问，尽管在黑客攻击打乱生产计划前，原型车已处于相当成熟的开发阶段。一位试驾过该车的人士表示，其表现将令驾驶者惊叹。
由麦戈文（McGovern）主导设计的新款电动路虎揽胜将成为捷豹路虎（JLR）摆脱汽油和柴油车转型过程中的关键车型。该车设计与燃油版几乎一致，但由于网络攻击事件，预计交付时间将推迟。捷豹路虎原计划于今年年底前完成首批交付。
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