Joby, Toyota, Archer and a growing network of real-world flights are beginning to make that question worth asking.
For years, electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, better known as eVTOLs, have sounded like technology that was always just over the horizon.
That is no longer the case in Monterey County.
Joby Aviation has been designing, building and testing electric aircraft from its home base in Santa Cruz County and its manufacturing facilities at Marina Municipal Airport. Archer Aviation has been flying its Midnight aircraft from Salinas, including a piloted roundtrip flight to Monterey Regional Airport. And Toyota, one of the most experienced manufacturers in the world, has moved far beyond being a passive investor in Joby.
Taken separately, each development is interesting. Taken together, they suggest Monterey County and the surrounding Central Coast may be quietly becoming one of California’s most important real-world environments for the next generation of aviation.
As I explored in Marina Should Be Talking About the Future of Flight and the Future of Our Economy, the region already possesses aviation assets that deserve to be considered as parts of one larger economic and technological opportunity.
The question is not whether Monterey County will replace Los Angeles, the Bay Area or North Texas as a major passenger market. It probably will not.
The better question is whether this region can become a statewide hub for testing, training, advanced manufacturing, maintenance and the practical integration of new aircraft into everyday airspace.
There is a credible case that it can.
Toyota Is Not Simply Betting on an Idea
The most important recent development may be the deepening relationship between Toyota and Joby.
Toyota has committed a total of $894 million to Joby. But the relationship involves much more than money. Toyota engineers have worked alongside Joby’s team in California, the companies have an agreement for Toyota to supply key powertrain and actuation components, and in June 2026 they launched the initial phase of a strategic manufacturing alliance.
The new joint venture is structured with Toyota holding 51% and Joby holding 49%. According to the companies’ filings and announcements, its purpose is to establish the foundation for commercial-scale production of Joby’s aircraft while improving manufacturing quality, efficiency and scalability.
That matters.
Toyota understands how to turn complex machines into reliable products at scale. Its production system has influenced manufacturing around the world. A company with that experience does not commit nearly $900 million, engineers, components and a majority-owned manufacturing venture without conducting serious technical and commercial due diligence.
Toyota’s involvement does not make Joby’s success guaranteed. Joby must still complete certification, scale production, manage costs and prove that commercial demand can support the business. Aviation is difficult, heavily regulated and expensive.
But Toyota’s commitment makes it much harder to dismiss Joby as another speculative flying-car startup.
Toyota is helping build the manufacturing system intended to move Joby from prototypes to production.
The connection to Japan adds another dimension. Joby completed its first international exhibition flight at Toyota’s Higashi-Fuji Technical Center in Shizuoka in 2024, and the companies have continued building a shared manufacturing strategy. Joby is becoming part of a broader international mobility effort, while an important share of its aircraft development and early production work remains rooted here on the Central Coast.
Manufacturing Means Jobs and an Ecosystem Around Them
Joby has already expanded its manufacturing footprint at Marina Municipal Airport. California awarded Joby a $9.8 million California Competes grant to support its Marina expansion. As part of the agreement, Joby committed to invest $41.3 million and create 690 additional full-time jobs across California by 2027.
Not all of those positions will be located in Monterey County, and Joby is also expanding production capacity in Ohio. That is an important reality. Monterey County should not assume that every future manufacturing job will automatically stay here.
But Marina has something other locations cannot easily duplicate: it is part of Joby’s original California ecosystem, close to the company’s Santa Cruz headquarters, engineering talent, flight-test activity and years of accumulated operational knowledge.
The local opportunity is also larger than one factory or one company. In Joby Is Flying the Future. Will Marina Help Build It?, I looked more closely at how Joby’s progress could translate into a wider network of technical skills, infrastructure and supporting businesses. Advanced aviation can support jobs in:
- Aircraft assembly and quality control
- Battery, propulsion and electronic systems
- Flight testing and data analysis
- Aircraft maintenance and inspection
- Pilot and technician training
- Airport operations and charging infrastructure
- Software, autonomy and cybersecurity
- Composite materials and precision fabrication
- Supply-chain, logistics and professional services
These are the kinds of skilled jobs that can create career pathways for local residents while connecting regional schools, colleges, employers and workforce programs to a growing industry.
Archer Is Turning Salinas and Monterey Into a Real Flight Corridor
Joby is not the only company making this region relevant.
On July 30, 2026, Archer Aviation completed a piloted roundtrip flight between Salinas Municipal Airport and Monterey Regional Airport. Each leg took about nine minutes, compared with a drive that can take 35 minutes or longer. Archer said the flight was conducted in close coordination with the FAA and was designed to help establish the procedures, infrastructure and local operating capabilities required for future eVTOL service.
Archer later flew a roundtrip between Salinas and Hollister, covering more than 40 miles and reaching 125 mph. The company identified additional California destinations for its “No Roads” flight tour, including Monterey, San Martin, San Jose, Oakland and San Francisco.
Those flights are more than promotional demonstrations. They allow aircraft, pilots, airports and regulators to work through the practical realities of operating this technology between real communities.
Salinas offers space, favorable flying conditions and access to a regional airport. Monterey Regional Airport provides an established commercial aviation environment and a connection to the tourism and business economy. Marina brings Joby’s manufacturing and test-flight presence. Hollister and Watsonville extend the potential corridor into neighboring communities.
Together, these airports form something no single city could create alone: a varied regional testing environment within a relatively compact area.
Aircraft can be evaluated over agricultural land, coastal terrain and populated areas. Companies can test short intercity routes, airport integration, weather conditions, noise profiles, charging, ground operations and coordination with the FAA, all without relying exclusively on the congested airspace of a major metropolitan center.
What the Newsweek Recognition Does, and Does Not Tell Us
Joby’s inclusion in Newsweek’s 2026 list of America’s Greatest Mid-Market Companies adds another point of credibility.
The recognition was not based on publicity alone. Newsweek’s research partner says approximately 400 eligible companies were evaluated from an initial pool of about 4,300 public companies. The analysis considered financial strength, workforce performance, innovation and sustainability, along with employee feedback, patent data, public records and media coverage.
That does not prove the entire eVTOL industry is financially secure, nor does it remove the risks facing a pre-commercial aviation company. An award is not the same as FAA certification, sustained revenue or profitable mass production.
What it does show is that Joby is increasingly being evaluated as a serious mid-market company with measurable strengths, not merely as a futuristic concept. Combined with Toyota’s manufacturing commitment, the company’s expanding facilities and its progress toward certification, the recognition supports the larger conclusion that Joby has developed real institutional credibility.
The North Texas Lesson
North Texas offers a useful comparison because leaders there are not treating advanced aviation as a single-company opportunity. They are building an ecosystem around airports, aerospace employers, universities, workforce development, testing, defense applications and local government partnerships.
Monterey County has also gained a connection to a broader defense innovation network, which I examined in DART Partnership Strengthens Marina’s Aviation Opportunity.
Monterey County cannot and should not try to duplicate North Texas. The regions differ enormously in population, available land, industrial capacity and public investment. But the strategic lesson applies here: aviation clusters are built through coordination.
Monterey County already has many of the pieces:
- Joby’s headquarters, manufacturing and flight-test network in Santa Cruz and Marina
- Archer’s active flight operations from Salinas
- Monterey Regional, Salinas Municipal, Marina Municipal and nearby regional airports
- The Naval Postgraduate School and defense-related research
- California State University, Monterey Bay and regional workforce programs
- Former Fort Ord and MBEST properties intended to support employment and research
- Proximity to Silicon Valley capital, engineering and technology companies
- A climate and geography suitable for varied flight testing
What is not yet clear is whether the region sees these assets as parts of one larger opportunity. That regional perspective also matters as Monterey County considers the future of former Fort Ord, including land that was intended to support employment and research. I discussed that connection in Shaping the Future of Fort Ord and Marina’s Opportunity to Be Part of It.
A Testing Hub May Be More Realistic Than a Passenger Hub
It is tempting to imagine fleets of air taxis carrying visitors around Monterey Bay. That may eventually become part of the picture, especially for airport connections, tourism or selected regional routes. But passenger service should not be the foundation of Monterey County’s strategy today.
The more immediate and defensible opportunity is to become a place where modern aircraft are built, tested, maintained and integrated into the national airspace system. That could include:
- Flight-test corridors connecting regional airports
- FAA-coordinated demonstrations and operational research
- Electric-aircraft maintenance and technician training
- Pilot training and simulation
- Battery, charging and airport-energy research
- Advanced manufacturing and supplier development
- Defense, emergency-response and autonomous-flight applications
- Partnerships with colleges and workforce organizations
This approach would build on activity that is already happening instead of asking local governments to gamble on a completely unproven concept.
So, Is Monterey County California’s New Modern Aviation Hub?
Not yet.
A true aviation hub requires more than two prominent companies and a series of successful flights. It requires infrastructure, trained workers, suppliers, research partnerships, predictable permitting and deliberate cooperation among cities, airports, educators and industry.
But Monterey County may already be an emerging advanced-aviation corridor, and that distinction matters.
Joby is manufacturing aircraft in Marina with Toyota’s capital and production expertise behind it. Archer is conducting piloted flights between Salinas, Monterey and nearby cities. The FAA is actively involved in developing the procedures that will govern this new category of flight. Local airports offer different capabilities within a short distance of one another.
The ingredients are here.
The next step is not to declare victory or promise that electric air taxis will transform the local economy overnight. It is to recognize what is developing, protect the aviation and employment assets that make it possible, and begin coordinating as a county and region.
If Monterey County does that well, it may not simply watch the future of aviation arrive.
It may help California build, test and define it.
Sources and Further Reading
- Toyota and Joby launch the initial phase of a strategic manufacturing alliance
- Toyota’s additional $500 million investment brings its total Joby commitment to $894 million
- Joby and Toyota complete Joby’s first air-taxi flight in Japan
- Joby receives a California grant supporting its Marina expansion and 690 new statewide roles
- Archer completes a piloted Salinas–Monterey roundtrip flight
- Archer completes a piloted Salinas–Hollister roundtrip flight
- Newsweek: America’s Greatest Mid-Market Companies 2026
- The Japan News: Toyota and Joby manufacturing coverage
Geno Quiroz serves on the Marketing & Technology team at IPX1031, a Fidelity National Financial company and a national leader in 1031 tax-deferred exchange services. In his current role, Geno focuses on website architecture, design, development, SEO/AIO, and digital marketing strategy. His work helps strengthen the company’s digital presence, improve user experience, and ensure that IPX1031’s online platforms effectively support client engagement and long-term growth.
Concurrently, Geno continues to lead Monterey Premier, the web design and strategic consulting firm he founded in 2015. Through Monterey Premier, he partners with entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and growing organizations to design high-performance websites, refine digital sales funnels, and implement conversion-focused strategies.
His hands-on experience building and scaling a client-facing agency has provided him with a real-world understanding of growth strategy, brand positioning, and the operational realities of business ownership — experience that now directly informs and strengthens his work in enterprise marketing technology.
