CENTRE PIECE

GERRY Mcgovern, Land Rover’s Chief Design Officer, was recently crowned the Designer of the Year at the Festival Automobile International in Paris. A 15-strong jury – from the automotive, sport, architecture, fashion, design, culture and media industries – awarded Mcgovern the Grand Prix du Design prize for his designs and influences across the industry.

“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,” Mcgovern said. “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.”

However, it seems not everyone is too pleased with the aesthetics of the new Discovery, especially its rear-end. Startech in Europe has already produced a replacement panel that centres the number plate on the tailgate, so that it “doesn’t look so clumsy and lop-sided”.

We don’t know about you, but we reckon it’s a warranted change.