Jaguar is back in the spotlight again, and not for the reasons the brand would prefer. Multiple reports out of the UK say longtime design boss Gerry McGovern has been abruptly fired from JLR, with insiders claiming he was escorted out of the office as his position was terminated on the spot. Neither Jaguar nor parent company Tata Motors is commenting, which only adds to the sense that this was a fast and tense decision rather than a carefully staged transition.
The timing is impossible to ignore. Jaguar’s recent rebrand and the wild Type 00 concept have been lightning rods, with fans and critics hammering the new pink-heavy visual identity, the “Copy Nothing” ad campaign that barely showed a car, and a concept that seemed more like a fashion object than a Jaguar sports car. What the company framed as exuberant modern luxury quickly turned into a culture-war punching bag, with social media outrage and think pieces questioning whether Jaguar had wandered too far from its roots.
All of this lands just days after PB Balaji officially takes over as JLR CEO following the retirement of Adrian Mardell. Balaji arrives from the CFO chair at Tata Motors with a reputation as a numbers-first operator, and his first big move appears to be clearing house at the very top of the design tower. Viewed through that lens, McGovern’s exit looks like a signal that Tata wants a tighter grip on Jaguar’s future as it prepares a clean-sheet EV lineup and tries to move the brand up to ultra-luxury territory alongside Bentley and Mercedes-Maybach.
What makes this moment so striking is that McGovern is not some anonymous executive quietly shuffled aside. Over more than two decades he helped reshape Land Rover and Range Rover into style leaders, signing off on vehicles like the Evoque, Velar, the latest Defender, and the modern Range Rover family, while his earlier career included work on the MG F and Land Rover Freelander and a stint helping revive Lincoln and Mercury. Love or hate the Type 00 and Jaguar’s new vibe, his fingerprints are all over the SUVs and crossovers that kept JLR alive. Now the question for enthusiasts is simple and uncomfortable: if this is how the old era ends, what will Jaguar’s next clean-sheet designer be allowed to create when that first new EV arrives in 2026?
Source: Autocar India
Mike Floyd is a finance executive by trade and a car enthusiast at heart. As a CFO with a keen eye for detail and strategy, Mike brings his analytical mindset to the automotive world, uncovering fresh insights and unique perspectives that go beyond the surface. His passion for cars—especially his favorite, the Porsche 911, fuels his contributions to Automotive Addicts, where he blends a love for performance and design with his professional precision. Whether he’s breaking down industry trends or spotlighting emerging innovations, Mike helps keep the site both sharp and forward-thinking.
