Gerry McGovern says his car design career is not finished. Speaking exclusively to Autocar for the first time about leaving JLR, he said he will definitely do more cars and is now serving as an advisor to Norton Motorcycles.
McGovern spent 24 years at JLR and rose to chief creative officer. He said, “I want to do new stuff,” adding, “They’re in my blood.”
Autocar interview
The remarks came in an interview with Steve Cropley and Matt Prior, McGovern’s first public explanation of the move. He said, “I’ve had a lot of approaches,” but also said, “I’m very particular about what I want and who I work with.”
That gives the departure a clearer shape. He is not stepping away from car design, and he is choosing projects carefully rather than broadening his work at random.
JLR departure timeline
Autocar reported McGovern’s abrupt departure from JLR last December, and JLR officially announced it in March this year. McGovern described the rumours around his exit as “all pretty inaccurate,” which leaves the chronology intact while the cause remains unexplained.
At JLR, he led the reborn Defender, several generations of Range Rover and Discovery models, and the Jaguar Type 00 electric concept. For readers who followed those programmes, the practical takeaway is simple: his design influence is still active, just no longer inside JLR.
Norton Motorcycles advisory role
His current advisory role at Norton Motorcycles shows where that next phase has started. The only thing McGovern has ruled out is the idea that the car side of his career is over, and he has already said he will do more cars in the future.
