Gerry McGovern wants to modernize the design of Jaguar cars and make the sports-car brand "wonderful again."
After leading Land Rover design since 2006, McGovern has been promoted to Jaguar Land Rover's chief creative officer, overseeing Jaguar design boss Julian Thomson and Land Rover design head Massimo Frascella.
"I'm savoring the thought of helping my Jaguar colleagues to bring Jaguar back to the position it deserves. It's a unique brand with incredible pedigree and a lot of potential," McGovern told Automotive News Europe in an interview. "If it could be developed in a way that freed it from some of the constraints it has had in the past, I think it could be wonderful again," he said.
Jaguar has been criticized in the past for leaning too much on iconic designs of its illustrious heritage, although new models such as the I-Pace full-electric crossover have pushed the brand into the modern era. The brand has successfully introduced crossovers such as the F-Pace but has struggled to engage customers with its sedans as customer tastes change.