Toyota Expands into Aircraft Manufacturing Business

Toyota and Joby Aviation have announced a ‘strategic manufacturing alliance’ that includes the establishment of a joint venture named Joby Toyota Aero Manufacturing Preparation Company in California, United States. Toyota, which has invested hundreds of millions of US dollars into Joby Aviation since 2020, will hold a 51 percent stake in the new company. The primary aim of the joint venture is to combine Joby’s pioneering work in electric aviation with Toyota’s expertise in production systems and operational excellence. Both companies stated that the joint venture will initially focus on preparing for commercial production. The firms seek to achieve excellence in manufacturing processes, with particular emphasis on enhancing productivity, quality, and cost efficiency. ‘Since our founding, we have always adhered to the philosophy of providing mobility for all. We see air mobility as a natural extension of that philosophy, from the ground to the sky, and as a way to deliver new value to people’s lives and the world,’ said Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda. ‘It is very meaningful for us to take on this challenge together with Joby, a partner that shares the same vision. We believe this increasingly close relationship is an important step towards realising a society with future mobility,’ he said. The companies aim to connect ground and air transport in a single seamless journey through partnerships with firms such as Delta and Uber. Joby’s six-rotor aircraft, equipped with four battery packs and propellers, can carry four passengers and one pilot and travel at speeds of up to 200 miles per hour, or approximately 322 kilometres per hour.