Tariffs and economic pressure drive slowdown at Aston Martin
Aston Martin has blamed a combination of economic challenges and the ongoing impact of tariffs as it warned sales will fall year on year.
The luxury carmaker delivered fewer cars than expected in the third quarter of 2025, at 1,430 wholesale units versus 1,641 in the third quarter of 2024.
It attributed the fall to weaker than expected demand including in North America, with the continuing tariff impact, and Asia.
UK car production plunged to its lowest level since 1949 in July after Trump imposed steep tariffs on foreign-made cars.
The company, famed for its appearance in the James Bond film series, also flagged cyber attacks in the UK as a concern following the recent issues faced by Jaguar, as well as a spate of problems at other major retailers.
Aston Martin expects adjusted earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) to fall by around £100m, driven by the weaker volumes and pressure on the gross margin per vehicle.
It has initiated an immediate review of future cost and capital expenditures, which will include a review of the future product cycle plan in response to market and regulatory dynamics.
Valhalla deliveries to start by end of year
Aston Martin confirmed that deliveries of Valhalla, its hybrid sports car, will start in the fourth quarter of 2025.
It expects 150 deliveries of the luxury vehicle, which starts at around £850,000 in the UK.
Valhalla was expected in the first half of the year, but the completion of vehicle engineering and the finalisation of mandatory homologation (certification) approvals has been delayed. A smooth delivery profile is expected next year.
“Additional risks to the delivery schedule for 2025 remain, associated with the current US federal government shutdown potentially impacting final US homologation timing and the ongoing uncertainty created by the U.S. tariff quota system,” the company said.
It expects sales of Valhalla to contribute to a “material improvement” in profitability and free cash flow generation next year.