Joby Ramps Up Flying Taxi Production with Major Expansion at California Site

Joby Aviation, the electric air taxi company backed by Toyota, is scaling up significantly. The company just announced a significant expansion of its site in Marina, California, a move that’s expected to substantially increase production capacity and pave the way for hundreds of new full-time jobs.

The upgraded facility will support the pilot production of Joby’s electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Once fully operational, the Marina site is expected to double its output to as many as 24 aircraft per year. But this isn’t just about churning out more aircraft, it’s also about laying the groundwork for a fully operational air taxi service, one that positions Joby alongside major competitors like the U.S.-based Archer and China’s Xpeng Aeroht.

Joby’s ambitions at Marina go beyond assembly lines. The expanded site will serve as a hub for several key initiatives: preparing for FAA production certification, building flight- and ground-testing components that meet strict compliance standards, training future pilots in simulators, and providing long-term aircraft maintenance.

This facility is now one of four operated by Joby across the United States. The company’s headquarters in Santa Cruz is where core system architecture work happens. Just a short drive away in San Carlos, Joby’s powertrain and electronics teams are pushing the limits of what electric flight tech can do. And over in Dayton, Ohio, the company is bringing a newly refurbished facility online to manufacture and test key components for the aircraft that will roll off the production line in Marina.

“Reimagining urban mobility takes speed, scale, and precision manufacturing. Our expanded manufacturing footprint in both California and Ohio is preparing us to do just that,” commented Eric Allison, Chief Product Officer. Most recently, Joby successfully tested a hydrogen-electric air taxi demonstrator alongside its battery-electric aircraft, completing a flight of approximately 842 kilometres. The eVTOL is the result of several years of collaboration between Joby Aviation and H2FLY, Joby’s wholly owned subsidiary.

Toyota, another major partner, is also involved. “Toyota engineers are deeply integrated with the Joby team, providing counsel to support Joby’s work across design, manufacturing, and quality,” the American company wrote. Toyota also helps with the optimisation of processes, the rationalisation of assembly and advises on the development of customer-specific tools to speed up production.

Fueling this rapid growth is a massive funding boost from Toyota. In late 2024, the Japanese automaker poured another half a billion dollars into Joby, raising its total investment to more than $394 million to date.

Toyota’s interest is far more than financial. In 2023, the two companies entered into a long-term strategic agreement, under which Toyota supplies vital drive and control components for Joby’s aircraft, essential building blocks for bringing electric air mobility to life.

With expanded infrastructure, increased funding, and deep collaboration with one of the world’s largest automakers, Joby is fast approaching a critical turning point. The company isn’t just prototyping the future of urban air mobility; it’s producing it, one aircraft at a time.