- Land Rover Chief Design Officer, Gerry McGovern honoured at Grand Prix du Design during Festival Automobile International in Paris
- Prize awarded for original Land Rover designs and brand's influence on the car industry
- 'Masterpiece' Range Rover Velar SUV singled out for praise by international jury of experts
Paris, 30 January 2018 – Gerry McGovern, Land Rover Chief Design Officer, was last night named Designer of the Year at the Festival Automobile International.
The Grand Prix du Design prize recognises McGovern's Land Rover designs and their influence across the car industry.
The awards are decided by a 15-strong jury from the automotive industry, sport, architecture, fashion, design, culture and the media. Jury members at the Hotel National des Invalides included architect Jean Michel Wilmotte, stylist Chantal Thomas, designer Anne Asensio and Etienne Gernelle, President and CEO of Le Point magazine.
Rémi Depoix, President of the Festival Automobile International, said: "Gerry McGovern has been recognised by the jury of the 33rd Festival Automobile International of Paris for his astonishing masterpiece, the Range Rover Velar, and for his whole career.
"One of his remarkable achievements is to adapt Land Rover's DNA, a transformation that began with the Range Rover Evoque. The British automotive industry has been reinvented in Gerry's vision and Land Rover is an incredible success story. Congratulations to him and his team."
Gerry McGovern, Chief Design Officer, Land Rover, said: "It's an incredibly rewarding time to be a designer in the automotive industry and to be recognised by a jury from a wide variety of design disciplines shows the importance of design in all our lives.
"My team has worked tirelessly to create the most desirable vehicles that our customers will love for life – vehicles that resonate with our customers on an emotional level."
The all-new Velar, the fourth member of the Range Rover family, fills the space between the Range Rover Evoque and Range Rover Sport.
Jaguar Land Rover has announced that from 2020 all new vehicles will be electrified. A new plug-in hybrid powertrain for the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport is available now.
ENDS
For further information log onto www.media.landrover.com
Paul Owen
Head of Design Communications, Land Rover
mobile: 00447880 177344
powen@jaguarlandrover.com
Editors' notes
About Land Rover
Since 1948 Land Rover has been manufacturing authentic 4x4s that represent true 'breadth of capability' across the model range. Defender, Discovery, Discovery Sport, Range Rover Sport, Range Rover, Range Rover Velar and Range Rover Evoque each define the world's SUV sectors, with 80 per cent of this model range exported to over 100 countries.