Automotive

Gerry McGovern, possibly one of the most influential figures in shaping British automotive design over the last decades was apparently let go from JLR with immediate effect. Seems the new CEO was not a fan of some of the latest experimentation 🤷🏻‍♂️ 


This message has been edited by cazalea on 2025-12-04 21:53:44

Suddenly the old cars appear in social media again. I suppose now we will hear that the company is "scaleable and quick to react to the market" and so forth. I am hopeful more so for the company, and that it is not too late.

It’s an incredibly difficult proposition. LR/RR are doing quite reasonably, though 😊👍🏻

He's had a good run, I would say, and he'll be fine regardless.... Let's see what happens with JLR design going forward ....

Not sure a move to another big player is likely, though but then the question is whether he would want or need that 🤷🏻‍♂️

and can see what the furor has done to reputation and cash flow…

Just that you can still go downhill even from a low point... maybe I should have said "debt flow" rather than "cash flow"...

I worked at their Santa Monica dealership for a summer back in 2016. They were already doing pretty bad....

The Jaguar cologne



This XK140 was very nice too







As was the XKE





But the star started to dim in the mid 2000-2010

The shot of Callum presenting one of his last mass-market creations is excellent, I particularly like that trim on the XK.... Cheers Mike, Filip

as I was spending lots of time there talking about servicing and well, you know, those British cars never had mechanical problems

They sure made up handsomely in other realms 😇🤌

At first didn’t see that it was the raised hood of the XO and thought it was a strange prototype 😂 Need new glasses 😊🤷🏻‍♂️

And a cool cologne. I remember having a Jaguar suit when much younger - was quite dashing, too 😁 Still have some Jaguar coat hangers somewhere 😉

But frankly they have been stuck between a rock and a hard place for decades.

With the UK being the only market where break even was reliably achieved (even if only just). Rumors have it that management tried convincing Ratan Tata to sell off Jaguar and buy Saab back in the day but he declined for emotional reasons 🤷🏻‍♂️

Still curious how the reality will play out 🤷🏻‍♂️
Although they don’t start out with a winning hand…

This is a brand whose best days are over the horizon through the rear view mirror.

Perhaps.

That Jaguar in the meantime is close to a zombie brand (or in watch terms a brand in need of resurrection by a PE equity? 😉).
I guess the relaunch next year is quite possibly the last chance for it to rise from the ashes…

☹️

Not all brands survive, unfortunately…