Aston Martin has renewed its global vehicle distribution contract with Ontime Automotive, retaining the company as a tier-one supplier. Ontime will deliver the DB9 and V12 Vanquish to markets worldwide, using its covered car transporter fleet – the largest in Europe – for deliveries to the UK and Continental Europe, and shipping the cars in closed sea freight containers to markets worldwide including North America, the Middle East, Far East and Australia. The cars are kept enclosed during transportation to keep them in pristine condition.

Ontime, which provides bespoke vehicle preparation and distribution services for prestige and volume manufacturers alike, has worked with Aston Martin since the early 1980s and became a global, tier-one supplier in August 2001. Since then, the company has distributed to markets around the world, forming a seamless link between the Aston Martin production line and the global dealer network.

Prior to distribution, Ontime collects the cars from Aston Martin production facilities at Gaydon, Warwickshire and Newport Pagnell in Buckinghamshire and transports them in a covered transporter to a purpose-built, indoor preparation and storage facility. Here, the cars are kept in a clean, temperature-controlled and humidity-regulated environment, with their batteries constantly charged.

In addition to handling pre-delivery preparation and worldwide distribution for Aston Martin, Ontime Automotive distributes every Honda, Ferrari and Maserati in the UK, as well as the storage and worldwide delivery of every Bentley. Other prestigious clients include BMW Alpina, Lotus, Morgan and DaimlerChrysler, including global distribution of the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. The company moves 700,000 vehicles a year, with operations ranging from high-volume distribution to individually driven vehicles.

Ontime’s 120-strong covered car transporter fleet, the largest in Europe, has carrying capacities of two and four cars. The company runs a further 230 open transporters, with capacities of up to eight vehicles, for volume distribution. Responding to trends in the premium sports car market, recent investments in the fleet include engineering modifications to accommodate lower, wider cars. Ontime is also the owner-operator of six Roll On-Roll Off vessels.