Aston Martin falls after profit warning on tariff pressures, weak Asia demand

Published 30/07/2025, 09:44
© Reuters

Investing.com -- Aston Martin (LON:AML) issued a profit warning on Wednesday, citing the effects of new U.S. tariffs and ongoing weak demand in Asia.

The British luxury carmaker now expects adjusted operating profit to be roughly flat for the year, down from its previous guidance of positive earnings. Consensus currently expects a loss of £33 million, according to Jefferies. 

The company’s shares fell 3.9% in London as of 08:24 GMT. 

"The evolving and disruptive U.S. tariff situation was unhelpful to our operations in Q2," said CEO Adrian Hallmark. He also noted that near-term demand in the Asia-Pacific region is likely to remain subdued due to a challenging macroeconomic backdrop.

The company now expects only modest wholesale volume growth, with consensus at 6.2k units, up just 2%. Gross margin is forecast to remain broadly flat year-on-year at around 36.9%, down from the previous target of approximately 40% and below the 39.6% consensus.

Free cash flow is still expected to materially improve from last year’s £392 million outflow, with consensus at –£148 million. The company anticipates sequential progress, turning positive in the fourth quarter and for the second half overall.

Mid-term guidance remained unchanged.

The revision comes after Aston Martin’s sales in Asia-Pacific, which contribute over a quarter of its revenue, declined 9% in the first half of 2025. Volumes in China were largely unchanged, the company said.

In the second quarter, revenue slid 34.2% year-over-year to £220.5 million, well below the company-compiled consensus of £270 million. 

Gross margin for the quarter came in at 27.8%, significantly below the 37.8% consensus and down 11.9 percentage points year-on-year, impacted by lower special edition sales and a £20 million increase in warranty and product quality costs.

To manage the impact of tariffs, Aston Martin limited shipments to the U.S. earlier in the year to draw down existing inventory. It also implemented a cost-sharing approach with customers to offset duty-related expenses.

Aston Martin said on Wednesday that shipments resumed in June, ahead of the finalization of a U.S.-U.K. trade agreement that imposes a 10% tariff on up to 100,000 British car imports annually.

The company warned that higher tariffs could dampen demand, disrupt distribution, and increase costs. In response, it is reviewing its supply chain and pricing strategies to mitigate potential risks.

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers
© 2007-2025 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.