It has a factory at St Athan in the Vale of Glamorgan and said job losses were necessary in the face of Donald Trump’s tariffs
Luxury car manufacturer Aston Martin, which has a factory in the Vale of Glamorgan, has confirmed plans to cut its global workforce by 20%. The company said its financial performance was being undermined by President Donald Trump’s unpredictable tariff policies.
The carmaker, renowned for its connection with the James Bond film franchise, employed just under 3,000 staff, suggesting redundancies of more than 500 workers.
It employs more than 500 at its St Athan factory in the Vale, which was established with nearly £19m of Welsh Government financial support. Its UK HQ and main manufacturing base is in Gaydon in the Midlands. Ensure our latest news and sport headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings
READ MORE: Leekes invests to create two new departments at its flagship Llantrisant storeREAD MORE: Construction work under way on new £119m Cardiff and Vale College campuses
The St Athan facility, located at a former RAF hangar, saw its first sport utility vehicle rolling off the production line in late 2019. For the biggest stories in Wales first sign up to our daily newsletter here
For its financial results for 2025, the London Stock Exchange listed firm posted pre-tax losses of £363.9m. With a tax charge total losses widened to nearly £500m. Meanwhile, revenue plummeted 21% to £1.3bn
Confirming its latest job losses, following a round last year, the company said: “Having undertaken, at the start of 2025, a process to make organisational adjustments to ensure the business was appropriately resourced for its future plans, we had to take the difficult decision at the end of 2025 to implement further changes. This latest programme will ultimately see the departure of up to 20% of our valued workforce.
“Linked directly to this necessary action, we expect associated annualised operating expenditure and capital expenditure savings of circa £40m of which the majority will be realised in full year 2026.
The manufacturer said it had recognised a provision of £18.7m in relation to anticipated restructuring costs as it consulted on reducing its global workforce as part of an operational review.
Pressure has intensified on the carmaker amid heightened international trade tensions. Over the past year, the group’s wholesale volumes dropped 10% to 5,448 units.
Adrian Hallmark, Aston Martin chief executive, said: “In 2025, we navigated a highly challenging trading environment whilst delivering on critical operational milestones.
“An unprecedented backdrop of geopolitical uncertainties and macroeconomic pressures, including heightened tariffs in the US and China, weighed on our performance and ability to execute our plans effectively.”
Last May, UK car production tumbled to its lowest level since 1949 as manufacturers bore the brunt of the US trade policy. Following Trump’s introduction of substantial tariffs on foreign-manufactured vehicles, British companies including Aston Martin and Jaguar Land Rover were compelled to halt US-bound shipments from April.
In October, the manufacturer attributed a combination of economic pressures and the continuing impact of tariffs as it cautioned sales would decline year on year.
Aston Martin is forecasting a “material improvement” for the year ahead, with approximately 500 deliveries of its limited-edition hybrid supercar Valhalla and the advantages of its transformation strategy.
Mr Hallmark described the commencement of Valhalla as the “highlight of the year”.
He added: “Looking ahead, I remain confident that our strategy and upcoming products will position us strongly for future success.
“In 2026, we expect to deliver a material improvement in financial performance and continue delivering year-on-year improvements over the short-mid-term with a focus on margin expansion and cash flow generation.”