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Alloy+Grit's interview w/ LR Designer, Gerry McGovern


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http://www.alloyandgrit.com/2018/01/19/gerry-mcgovern-gets-frank-about-land-rover-design/

 

And after reading this article, I can't help but wonder from which school did he get his accounting & finance degree. :)

 

 

Here is a hint of what the new defender will not look like; the original defender:

 

 

So I think we have to be careful of that with Defender. While I respect our traditionalists, the people who love Defender, we have to be careful we’re not preoccupied with designing a vehicle just for them. Because to be honest, they love the Defender they’ve got and they’ll probably die with it. They probably won’t buy the new one. There will be other people that will.

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LR would solve the problem by just naming it something other than Defender.  They want to carry the pedigree and heritage of the name but state clearly above that they won't respect the design, so why bastardize the name?

 

None of it makes much sense to me.

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It's the same reason the Evoque exists under the Range Rover portfolio. Pedigree and heritage is meaningless on its own merits to McG, it's just about using the brand capital to sell whatever half-assed product they think will bring a profit. 

 

I wouldn't have minded the Evoque as a Freelander replacement. Just call it the Land Rover Evoque and Land Rover Evoque Convertible and you would have had FAR less outcry from those who love the brand. But, McG knows the brand enthusiasts won't run out and buy the Evoque anyway, and the target audience is only buying it because they can tell people they have a "RANGE ROVER" and add "evoque" under their breath. Just the word "Range" is the whole reason that product exists, as it likely wouldn't have had a sales case without it.

 

Sell more cars, brand equity be damned.

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But the defender name itself will draw the new buyers into the showroom for a LR branded Renegade.

LR sold a boat load of Freelanders (LR2) that he designed. So, must be doing something right.

Depends on your definition of "right". He's definitely selling more units, but he's doing it at the expense of brand equity and alienating the enthusiasts. BMW has pretty thoroughly done this and they've lost many of their brand champions that talk about how great their cars are to the world. For now, they are still selling more, but at a certain point it will backfire once you no longer have a core enthusiast group.

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That’s true, but that’s not a problem Gerry cares about.

He just needs to sell enough vehicles so to fund his wife’s Herme bag collection habit, until she’s got the full set.

Yes, Gerry did talk about his wife’s Herme collecting hobby. :)

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Depends on your definition of "right". He's definitely selling more units, but he's doing it at the expense of brand equity and alienating the enthusiasts. BMW has pretty thoroughly done this and they've lost many of their brand champions that talk about how great their cars are to the world. For now, they are still selling more, but at a certain point it will backfire once you no longer have a core enthusiast group.

This is true.  For eons the benchmark for small sedans was always the 3-series.   You didn't even have to think about it, you just knew it was the best.  I fought against it for years because I didn't want to take the popular road; I had a Saab 9-3 then an A4 but eventually I gave in and bought a 335.  And yes, it was more common but it was also better.  And that was nearing the end of the 3-series dominance.  Today it's become bigger, heavier, and softer to the point others that used to be contenders have surpassed it.  These days I'd be looking at the small Jag or the Alfa Guilia for a small sedan.

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This is true. For eons the benchmark for small sedans was always the 3-series. You didn't even have to think about it, you just knew it was the best. I fought against it for years because I didn't want to take the popular road; I had a Saab 9-3 then an A4 but eventually I gave in and bought a 335. And yes, it was more common but it was also better. And that was nearing the end of the 3-series dominance. Today it's become bigger, heavier, and softer to the point others that used to be contenders have surpassed it. These days I'd be looking at the small Jag or the Alfa Guilia for a small sedan.

The baby Jag is absolutely terrific. If I end up with a shorter commute it's high on my list to lease.

 

Niello has a $199/mo lease deal on the Giula but it's quite a high down pmt. Certainly wouldn't consider buying one of those, though.

 

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The baby Jag is absolutely terrific. If I end up with a shorter commute it's high on my list to lease.

 

Niello has a $199/mo lease deal on the Giula but it's quite a high down pmt. Certainly wouldn't consider buying one of those, though.

 

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Oh come on - you're not one of those people who's scared of Italian car reputations are you?   You own(ed) Jags and Rovers and older high-mile BMWs and probably a bunch of other interesting 'unreliable' vehicles.  If you haven't had an Italian car at least once you don't know what you're missing.  

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Oh come on - you're not one of those people who's scared of Italian car reputations are you?   You own(ed) Jags and Rovers and older high-mile BMWs and probably a bunch of other interesting 'unreliable' vehicles.  If you haven't had an Italian car at least once you don't know what you're missing.  

Almost every review I've read of the Giulia had some sort of mechanical/electrical failure. The reputation is well earned. :lol:

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  • 4 weeks later...

That’s true, but that’s not a problem Gerry cares about.

He just needs to sell enough vehicles so to fund his wife’s Herme bag collection habit, until she’s got the full set.

Yes, Gerry did talk about his wife’s Herme collecting hobby. :)

 

It's Hermes...   :P

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