Photo: Land Rover
The new Land Rover Defender, dubbed the toughest car in the world, was introduced in late 2019 and should have started deliveries in a short while, had it not been for the restrictions issued on the grounds of the international health crisis.
As the world remains behind closed doors, British car designer and Land Rover Design Director Gerard Gabriel McGovern is speaking out from his countryside home on his frustrations at the delayed launch and what the marque is doing to make things a bit better for customers.
He mentions first responders and how the new Land Rover Defender is proving to be a “hero car.” “It’s frustrating after all the fantastic reviews and huge demand from customers,” McGovern tells The Sun in an interview.
There is a silver lining, though, and that’s in being able to deliver vehicles to first responders, at a time when they need them the most. “But I like to turn negatives into positives and we’ve been able to deliver the first fleet of Defenders to help various emergency services. A hero car for our heroes,” the designer explains. He does not go into specifics.
Always a rather eccentric figure, McGovern muses on the new, enforced lifestyle, not really being one of the nicest bosses around, the hybrid-electric Evoque and Discovery Sport and electrification plans, working from home and how he’s not really not in a position to complain on that last account. After all, not everyone gets to live in a self-designed mansion in the countryside, surrounded by greenery, family and luxury.
This difficult time, though, has been a tough learning opportunity for Land Rover, the car designer says. It’s also been a time to re-asses everything they’ve done so far, from the way they work together to how they interact with customers. The conclusion, for McGovern, is that he as a car designer isn’t meant to push the envelope or break new ground with every project he undertakes, but rather to deliver cars that “resonate with our customers.”
He mentions first responders and how the new Land Rover Defender is proving to be a “hero car.” “It’s frustrating after all the fantastic reviews and huge demand from customers,” McGovern tells The Sun in an interview.
There is a silver lining, though, and that’s in being able to deliver vehicles to first responders, at a time when they need them the most. “But I like to turn negatives into positives and we’ve been able to deliver the first fleet of Defenders to help various emergency services. A hero car for our heroes,” the designer explains. He does not go into specifics.
Always a rather eccentric figure, McGovern muses on the new, enforced lifestyle, not really being one of the nicest bosses around, the hybrid-electric Evoque and Discovery Sport and electrification plans, working from home and how he’s not really not in a position to complain on that last account. After all, not everyone gets to live in a self-designed mansion in the countryside, surrounded by greenery, family and luxury.
This difficult time, though, has been a tough learning opportunity for Land Rover, the car designer says. It’s also been a time to re-asses everything they’ve done so far, from the way they work together to how they interact with customers. The conclusion, for McGovern, is that he as a car designer isn’t meant to push the envelope or break new ground with every project he undertakes, but rather to deliver cars that “resonate with our customers.”
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