Aston Martin prepares for ‘worst case scenario’ as no-deal Brexit looms

Luxury carmaker Aston Martin has triggered its contingency plans as the threat of a no-deal Brexit looms.

The Gaydon-based sports care manufacturer’s chief executive Andy Palmer told Reuters it had hired a supply chain chief and was considering flying in components to deal with the effects of Britain leaving the EU without a deal on March 29.

Palmer told Reuters that the company began considering the option to fly in components in October as well as bringing components in through ports other than Dover.

The company is also holding a stock of cars in Germany.

Aston Martin has hired John Griffiths, who has worked for Nissan and Rolls-Royce, as interim vice president for supply chain.

“I don’t think we’ve been in a position in the last two years where we’ve been further apart from understanding where we’re going to end up,” Palmer said.

“We programme a car to align and order all the parts for those cars twelve weeks in advance. You don’t need to do the maths to know that therefore takes us across the Brexit period. We have to prepare for the worst case scenario.”

The news comes as Theresa May pushes to win support for her Withdrawal Agreement ahead of the Commons vote on January 15.

Meanwhile, it was revealed yesterday that UK car sales last year saw the biggest annual fall since the financial crisis.

According to The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), 2.36 million new cars were registered in 2018 down 6.8% on the previous year, the biggest drop since an 11% fall in 2008.

Last year, the chief executive of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) warned that “10,000s of people are at risk” if Brexit causes disruption to its UK manufacturing operations.

Dr Ralf Speth, who has led JLR for eight years, reiterated his warning that a hard Brexit will cost the manufacturer £1.2bn.