Joby Aviation is going ahead with a joint venture along with Toyota Motor Corp. that will expand electric vertical take-off, landing manufacturing and position it for mass production.
The two companies have been working together for almost 10 years, including a week-long flight display campaign at Fuji Speedway in Japan in December 2025. That work is going to be transformed into an official joint venture around manufacturing.
The first phase of the alliance will lay the foundation for commercial production and drive superiority in manufacturing, with a focus on enhancing productivity and quality as well as cost.
According to founder and CEO of Joby Aviation, JoeBen Bevirt, “Toyota has been by Joby’s side for nearly a decade, providing invaluable guidance and support as we built the foundation for manufacturing our aircraft.
Today’s announcement of scaling up electric vertical take-off, landing manufacturing reflects the strength of our relationship and our shared confidence in the opportunity ahead. Together, we share a vision of making aerial mobility an everyday reality, and we look forward to delivering on that promise together.”
Joby Aviation, which is based in Santa Cruz, California, intends to operate an eVTOL service in an array of cities around the world and sell to other operators as well as partners. Its first eVTOL aircraft might be approved for commercial operation later in 2026 itself.
Interestingly, Toyota operates 14 manufacturing plants in North America that have produced over 50 million vehicles and possess significant expertise in high-volume production systems. Its North Carolina facility also began to assemble automotive batteries for electric vehicles in 2025, further adding to its experience with electrified vehicles.
As per Chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation, Akio Toyoda, “Since our founding, we’ve been guided by the philosophy of providing mobility for all. We see air mobility as a natural extension of that philosophy — from the ground into the sky — and as a way to bring new value to people’s lives and to society. We believe this strengthened relationship is an important step forward in realizing the future mobility society.”
Both companies stated they intend to continue to work collaboratively through the joint venture, leveraging their unique advantages to expand eVTOL air mobility to a more expansive scale as demand continues to rise.