An electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft from Joby Aviation, Toyota's air mobility partner, has taken its first flight in Japan. This success was built upon deep trust between the companies' leaders.
Donuts high and low
Each time their paths crossed, Akio was filled with anticipation for Joby’s aircraft. Even as he emphasized “safety first” instead of hastening development, time and again he voiced the same sentiment: “I can’t wait to go for a ride.”
True to form, after the press conference we witnessed this light-hearted exchange:
Chairman Toyoda: “I can’t wait to go for a ride!”
CEO Bevirt: “You can go right now—but as a flight engineer.”
Then CEO Bevirt followed up with his own request. “I have a favor as well… Can you take me for a spin in your car?”
Akio happily obliged, saying, “All right, let’s go! It’s too bad we couldn’t do the demo flight today, but this rain is perfect for drifting!” Just like that, they set off in a Toyota 86…
The scene that opened this article followed soon after. Starting with donuts on land, the pair agreed that next time they would go for a spin in the air.
A shared vision
“This partnership seems to have formed from a connection between two individuals rather than two companies. At what point did each of you instinctively feel ‘This is someone I can work with’?”
This question was posed by a reporter after the press conference. We’ll leave you with the responses from both leaders:
Chairman Toyoda
The first time we met was no different from today. His core vision of wanting to change the world and offer a new form of mobility remains the same. When we were talking up on stage earlier, JoeBen whispered to me, “Today is the real start, isn’t it.” Not the finish line—today is the real starting point.
CEO Bevirt
When I build relationships with people, I always want to create the kind of relationships that last a lifetime. During our short lives, what’s important is contributing to the world as much as possible in the time we are given. Using the time you have, do what you can to make the world a better place. Both of us share that mindset. I feel that we are bound together by our commitment to making a better world.