Toyota and Jo Aviation form eVTOL production partnership

Toyota’s manufacturing expertise targets manufacturing scalability, which remains a key challenge for commercial eVTOL Jo Aviation and Toyota Motor Corporation have formalized their manufacturing partnership through a joint venture, combining Jo’s electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) expertise with Toyota’s manufacturing systems to enhance commercial production capability. The startup is prioritizing manufacturing excellence and scaling up production as Jo prepares for aircraft certification and expected demand growth. Toyota has supported Jo for nearly a decade, and the joint venture formalizes this relationship as a joint production structure. The alliance will initially focus on productivity, quality and cost improvements in Jo’s eVTOL manufacturing process. JoeBen Bevirt, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Jo Aviation, said in a statement: “Toyota has been with Jo for nearly a decade, providing invaluable guidance and support as we lay the foundation for manufacturing our aircraft. Today’s announcement reflects the strength of our relationship and our shared confidence in the opportunity before us. Together, we share the vision of making air mobility an everyday reality and look forward to delivering on that promise together.” The joint venture applies Toyota’s lean manufacturing philosophy to the emerging aviation market, where manufacturing scalability remains a critical unsolved question for commercial eVTOL operators. The agreement also marks Toyota’s most direct operational commitment to the eVTOL sector, transitioning from investor to manufacturing partner. Why this matters: Toyota’s manufacturing expertise is the binding constraint that Jo still needs to solve. A nearly decade-long investment earned Jo a short-term capital partner, but turning a nearly decade-old relationship into a true joint venture for manufacturing signals that scaling eVTOL manufacturing, not flight technology, is now the critical path to commercialization. A formal joint venture is a significantly different commitment from previous investment rounds. Toyota has supported Jo financially for years; Structuring this as a joint venture rather than ongoing equity investment means joint operational control and longer-term entanglement in Jo’s production results; This has consequences for both companies if certification timelines slip.

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