Holon plans to produce this autonomous vehicle at a new plant in Jacksonville by 2027. | Holon
Published on October 27, 2025 at 5:20 pm
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Holon, a German manufacturer of autonomous vehicles, signed an agreement Monday with the Jacksonville Transportation Authority to build autonomous vehicles at a plant planned in north Jacksonville.
The plant — the first in the U.S. — could employ up to 150 people initially and hundreds more eventually. It could have an economic impact locally of $90 million per year, officials say.
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Plans call for the 12-passenger Holon people movers to operate as part of Downtown Jacksonville’s autonomous bus system when they begin rolling off the assembly line in 2027.
The autonomous system, called NAVI, for Neighborhood Autonomous Vehicle Innovation, began about four months ago on a route along the Northbank, using electric Ford vans until the Holon vehicles are available.
A delegation from Tokyo attended the contract signing Monday, indicating interest in buying the Holon vehicles.
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“Holon’s decision to choose Jacksonville is not just a vote of confidence in our city’s business environment; it is a clear recognition of our shared vision for a smart, safer and more connected world,” said JTA CEO Nat Ford. “With Holon’s presence here, Jacksonville is poised to become a global hub for autonomous mobility innovation, and I would argue that anyone who challenges that lacks vision, and doesn’t believe in the promise and possibility of our people in our great city.”
The Holon plant
Holon plans to break ground for the plant next year on Zoo Parkway near the Broward River. Holon Chief Financial Officer Clemens Regier said Holon plans to produce 5,000 people movers a year starting in 2027 to serve customers in the U.S., Europe, the Middle East and Japan.
The city is providing a $7.5 million grant toward construction of the $100 million plant. Ultimately, the factory could employ up to 1,000 people and create 800 additional jobs in related businesses, Ford said.
Holon could be boon to graduates from the University of North Florida, Florida State College at Jacksonville and Jacksonville University, he said.
“These are institutions who are responsible for creating a pipeline for young people who are eager to begin a career in autonomous vehicles, and of course a projected multibillion-dollar impact on Northeast Florida,” Ford said.
Autonomous vehicles in Jacksonville
NAVI began operating July 1. Fourteen vans carry passengers on a 3.5-mile loop between LaVilla and EverBank Stadium.
A total of 6,853 people used the autonomous service in its first three months, averaging just over 100 riders per day. JTA and city officials believe the service will attract more riders as people use it to get to work and entertainment locations Downtown.
The NAVI route is the first of three proposed phases for a mass transit system known as the Ultimate Urban Circulator, or U2C. The second phases would include conversion of the existing 2.5-mile Skyway system in parts of Downtown and San Marco into an elevated roadway for autonomous vehicles. The U2C vehicles also will cross the Acosta Bridge to the Southbank and become a 10-mile system.
The U2C’s third phase will connect to the city’s Brooklyn and Riverside area’s new condominiums, offices and established homes, shops and restaurants on surface streets. Funding is now available for project engineering.
