*By Michael Teich*
Brexit could be a major bump in the road for Aston Martin if it disrupts trade with the automaker's European partners, said the company's CMO Simon Sproule.
"The biggest threat to us of Brexit is non-tariff barriers, because if you end up getting import duties on Astons going into Europe, then you're going to get import duties on Ferraris coming into the UK. So it's a zero-sum game," Sproule said Tuesday in an interview on Cheddar.
The Brexit withdrawal process began March 29, 2017 after a countrywide vote, and the UK is set to depart from the European Union on March 29, 2019.
A new report from the Federation of German Industries said a "hard Brexit" ー meaning in the absence of a deal between the EU and the UK ー could cause exports to Britain from the rest of the EU to drop by as much as [57 percent](https://www.dw.com/en/german-industry-warns-against-hard-brexit/av-45818058).
That kind of trade disturbance would not be good for business, Sproule said.
"What we're lobbying the government most strongly about is to ensure the free flow of parts and obviously completed vehicles," he added.
Aston Martin ($AML.L) is the latest luxury automaker to make its market debut. Despite a rough start on the London Stock Exchange since its Oct. 3 IPO ー shares are down 16 percent since ー Sproule said patient investors will benefit from the company's future growth.
"The IPO was effectively a marker in our evolution," he said. "People that have been buying into us are buying in for the long term. They buy into the equity story, they buy into the future potential of Aston Martin."
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/aston-martin-cmo-we-have-no-interest-in-making-cheaper-cars).
Jill and Carlo discuss the CDC's updated mask guidance, a deeper dive into the catastrophe in India, what POTUS will pitch to Congress, and the biggest public health breakthrough of the decade that you haven't heard about.
India’s official death toll has passed 200,000, but the true number is likely far higher.
U.S. health officials say fully vaccinated Americans don't need to wear masks outdoors anymore unless they are in a big crowd of strangers.
Car culture in the U.S. spurred a parking boom since the early 1900s. As a result, cities are chock full of parking lots and garages. Cheddar explains why this happened and the often unseen damage it's doing to our urban centers.
Jill and Carlo talk about optimism on the pandemic and economy, a big demographic shift that will have implications for the midterms, Apple rolling out its new privacy tool, and the Oscars ratings.
Clive McCoy, director of tourism for the British Virgin Islands, joined Cheddar to discuss how the territory was relaxing restrictions for travel to resume back to the tropical getaway.
While much of the world remains hunkered down, the band Six60 has been playing to huge crowds in New Zealand, where social distancing isn’t required after the nation stamped out the coronavirus.
As COVID vaccination numbers have increased in the U.S., Cheddar's Michelle Castillo visited the home of the Boston Red Sox, Fenway Park, as it welcomed back fans earlier this month.
Officials say the European Union is finalizing plans to allow tourists from the United States to travel to the 27-nation bloc this summer.
Jill is joined by Baker Machado this morning to talk about the CDC reinstating the J&J vaccine, a worsening Coronavirus crisis in India, but also, where things are looking a lot better.
