Jaguar has fired the designer who created the strange Type 00 concept (3 photos) (photo)

Jaguar Land Rover has resigned as chief designer Gerry McGovern, whose work on the Type 00 concept is considered one of its achievements. According to Autocar, citing sources within the company, McGovern was fired overnight. The Type 00 was intended to showcase the premium brand's future, but it generated a highly controversial response.





Company sources are not disclosing the reasons for the chief designer's sudden dismissal. The company itself declined to officially comment on possible personnel changes.

JLR changed its CEO about two weeks ago. Adrian Mardell, who retired, was replaced by P.B. Balaji, who previously spent 32 years at parent company Tata Motors and served as CFO before his transfer.

Gerry McGovern had 21 years at JLR. In addition to reimagining Jaguar, he was responsible for, for example, the creation of several new Range Rover models and the new Defender. The publication attributes the reshuffle to Tata Motors' desire to tighten its control over the British company.

The Jaguar Type 00 concept, which heralded major changes to the brand's policy, was unveiled late last year. Its design sparked a wave of criticism from fans, and the Jaguar reinvention strategy itself was called one of the brand's biggest business failures. Later, even US President Donald Trump joined the criticism. The company plans to completely abandon its traditional model lineup, shifting to the production of ultra-luxury electric cars with unique designs.