The Jaguar rebranding campaign has attracted more controversy than , to put it mildly, a rocky one since its reveal late last year. It resulted in people questioning if the brand even makes cars anymore, following a car-less promotional video that looked more like an advert for a high-fashion brand than a carmaker.
After reportedly looking for a new advertising agency, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is now giving its Chief Creative Officer, Gerry McGovern, the boot. Gerry was the man behind the controversial Type 00 (pronounced “type zero zero”) concept, Autocar reports.
It is reported that McGovern was asked to leave the company on Monday, 1st December 2025, with his position as JLR’s Chief Creative Officer terminated with immediate effect. According to reports from Autocar India, he was “escorted out of the office”—safe to say, this is not an amicable parting.
This sudden departure comes just two weeks after the retirement of former JLR CEO Adrian Mardell. Taking the helm as JLR’s new CEO is PB Balaji, the former Chief Financial Officer of Tata Motors. He brings 32 years of corporate experience to the position, including eight years serving at JLR’s parent company, Tata Motors.
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The dismissal of Gerry McGovern marks the end of his 21-year career at JLR. During his tenure, McGovern was instrumental in shaping the modern Land Rover lineup, overseeing the design of the Range Rover Evoque, Range Rover Velar, the new Land Rover Defender, and the flagship Range Rover itself. Most recently, he spearheaded the design of the aforementioned controversial Jaguar Type 00 concept.
It remains to be seen who will be McGovern’s successor at JLR. When approached for a statement regarding the dismissal, a JLR spokesperson declined to elaborate, simply offering a “no comment”.
For Jaguar, the leadership shake-up comes during a tough period. The brand saw its sales figures for 2024 record a paltry 33,320 cars sold, a sharp decline compared to the 61,661 cars managed just two years prior in 2022.
Despite the turmoil, the Jaguar Type 00 Concept serves as a definitive preview of the brand’s all-electric future ambitions. The concept signals Jaguar’s goal to venture into the ultra-luxury market and compete against the likes of Rolls-Royce, with a renewed focus on low-volume, luxury models priced above £100,000 (approx. RM545k).
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