Lilium is negotiating with the French government over possible subsidies and loan guarantees to support high-volume production facilities for its eVTOL aircraft. The German company confirmed that it is evaluating possible sites for the facility in France after the French government announced the initiative during the Choose France Summit in Versailles on Monday.
The news that the Bavaria-based company is considering production locations such as the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in the west of France broke a couple of weeks after reports that German federal and state officials have failed to agree on loan guarantees for both Lilium and another eVTOL aircraft developer Volocopter.
Lilium is already building the second production-conforming aircraft at its facility in Wessling and is preparing to manufacture high volumes of the six-passenger Lilium Jet, which it aims to start delivering in 2026. The company said that the new facility in France could represent an investment of up to €400 million ($432 million) over several years and create up to 850 new direct jobs.
According to Lilium, it holds binding and provisional orders for 780 Lilium Jets from operators in the U.S., South America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. It has not confirmed what rate of production it is aiming to achieve annually.
The Nouvelle-Aquitaine region is already home to a concentration of aerospace and battery manufacturers. In France, Lilium's partners include Saint-Gobain, Michelin, Expliseat, and Ratier-Figeac.