Aston Martin scrambled to deliver three months' worth of cars to US dealers within 24 hours to qualify for lower tariffs that took effect on 30 June. By invoicing the entire quarter's cars on that day, the British luxury carmaker avoided reporting a sales slump that could have alarmed investors.
The operation involved shipping hundreds of cars to bonded warehouses in the US before delivery firms raced to get them to dealers by the end of the day. This allowed Aston Martin to benefit from the 10% tariff rate agreed between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Keir Starmer in early May, rather than the 27.5% rate that would have applied otherwise.
Adrian Hallmark, Aston Martin's chief executive, described the scramble as 'quite exciting, to put it mildly.' The company shipped 328 cars to the Americas between April and June, with the majority sent on 30 June. Aston Martin also raised US prices by 3% to absorb some of the tariff impact and cut production to limit financial damage.
However, the company faces future risks. The quota of 100,000 British-made cars covered by the 10% tariff could be exhausted before the launch of its million-dollar Valhalla hypercar, potentially adding over £100,000 to its price. Hallmark noted 'pressure on the number of slots available on the 100,000 quota,' as British carmakers race to get vehicles into the US.
