Car industry needs more female designers

Land Rover design director Gerry McGovern, who works on the luxury brand’s newest models, said the industry needs more women.

“I think for a long time we’ve suffered [from] not having enough automotive female designers,” he said.

According to EY, women comprise only a quarter of the auto industry workforce. But they influence almost 80% of decisions to buy a car, according to market research rock-hard Frost & Sullivan.

Land Rover design director Gerry McGovern.

“In a lot of respects it’s the women that are making the decisions about the vehicles,” McGovern said. “We’ve got to get their inputs.”

He said women have different priorities to dudes when purchasing cars, which may be underrepresented when cars are designed.

Olivia Walker, principle consultant for Frost & Sullivan, said that interior design was the largest area of dissatisfaction among female car buyers.

She said her research found most women were unhappy with visibility, entertainment controls and storage space, adding that “it just makes sense” to employ women who understand the behavior of consumers.

That’s why McGovern wants more women in the industry. “I’m doing as much as I can to encourage female designers in our business,” he said.

Functionality vs design

McGovern goes a team of 500, who work on fresh models for the Land Rover brand, which is possessed by Jaguar Land Rover, itself a subsidiary of India’s Tata Motors.

While cars need to be functional, McGovern says their design also needs to have an emotional influence.

“When somebody gets into one of our cars I want them to feel special,” McGovern said. “I want them to have that sense of elevation — they get in, they commence it up and they feel good.”

The Range Rover Evoque, which launched in 2011, has been Gerry McGovern’s most successful model.

His largest hit has been the Range Rover Evoque — half a million have been sold since its launch in 2011, making it the best selling model in Land Rover’s history.

But design wasn’t McGovern’s very first love — originally, he desired to become a painter. “But then I realized there’s not much money in painting until you’re dead,” he joked.

Now, his ultimate aim is to increase the petite British brand’s market share and proceed to innovate.

“Part of my job is to look at the landscape,” he said. “What are the opportunities to create things that don’t exist at the moment?”

Land Rover design chief: Car industry needs more female designers – Jan

Car industry needs more female designers

Land Rover design director Gerry McGovern, who works on the luxury brand’s newest models, said the industry needs more women.

“I think for a long time we’ve suffered [from] not having enough automotive female designers,” he said.

According to EY, women comprise only a quarter of the auto industry workforce. But they influence almost 80% of decisions to buy a car, according to market research rock-hard Frost & Sullivan.

Land Rover design director Gerry McGovern.

“In a lot of respects it’s the women that are making the decisions about the vehicles,” McGovern said. “We’ve got to get their inputs.”

He said women have different priorities to fellows when purchasing cars, which may be underrepresented when cars are designed.

Olivia Walker, principle consultant for Frost & Sullivan, said that interior design was the thickest area of dissatisfaction among female car buyers.

She said her research found most women were unhappy with visibility, entertainment controls and storage space, adding that “it just makes sense” to employ women who understand the behavior of consumers.

That’s why McGovern wants more women in the industry. “I’m doing as much as I can to encourage female designers in our business,” he said.

Functionality vs design

McGovern goes a team of 500, who work on fresh models for the Land Rover brand, which is possessed by Jaguar Land Rover, itself a subsidiary of India’s Tata Motors.

While cars need to be functional, McGovern says their design also needs to have an emotional influence.

“When somebody gets into one of our cars I want them to feel special,” McGovern said. “I want them to have that sense of elevation — they get in, they embark it up and they feel good.”

The Range Rover Evoque, which launched in 2011, has been Gerry McGovern’s most successful model.

His fattest hit has been the Range Rover Evoque — half a million have been sold since its launch in 2011, making it the best selling model in Land Rover’s history.

But design wasn’t McGovern’s very first love — originally, he wished to become a painter. “But then I realized there’s not much money in painting until you’re dead,” he joked.

Now, his ultimate aim is to increase the petite British brand’s market share and proceed to innovate.

“Part of my job is to look at the landscape,” he said. “What are the opportunities to create things that don’t exist at the moment?”

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