Jaguar has not fired designer Gerry McGovern. Will he stay at JRL?

Backtracking. Gerry McGovern has not been sacked outright by JRL. More than 10 days ago, news of the British designer's departure was reported by the British magazine Autocar and the Indian division Autocar India. It was not a simple dismissal but an outright sacking, with McGovern being escorted out of the office.

The news bounced around the world and was not denied by JRL for more than ten days, until the official statement that 'The news of Gerry McGovern's departure is false and we will not comment on further speculation'. No confirmation, however, whether McGovern is still working for the Tata Motors-owned group.

Despite the denial, the timing of the response seems more to do with avoiding multimillion-dollar lawsuits between the designer and the British group led by ceo PB Balaji, formerly chief financial officer of Tata Motors. For while it is highly unlikely that a publication such as Autocar would make up the removal of McGovern with an escort, a bitter clash between the designer's boss and ownership is more plausible.

But what will be the cause of the possible estrangement? Certainly, the creation of the Jaguar Type 00 and the new brand language was one of the most divisive events in the Conventry manufacturer's history. Not so much for the all-electric powertrain, for the decision to say goodbye to combustion engines, but above all for wiping out the history of a brand that recently turned 90. These were celebrated by displaying a Type 00 in London alongside the first Jaguar SS from 1935.

All that remains is to await future developments to find out whether Gerry McGovern will continue to head the Jrl style centre or not.