Holon names new CEO as Jacksonville autonomous shuttle production

Holon names new CEO as Jacksonville autonomous shuttle production (Courtesy of the Jacksonville Business Journal) — As Holon prepares to begin production of the country’s first fully autonomous electric shuttles in Jacksonville, the company announced a new leader to guide the next phase of its growth.

Effective May 1, Markus Schlitt (pictured above) will take over as CEO and managing director of Holon, a joint venture between global automotive supplier Bentler Group and Tasaru Mobility Investments. Schlitt replaces Henning von Watzdorf, who is in discussions for a new leadership role within Bentler.

Schlitt, a veteran of urban mobility systems, previously led Yunex Traffic and Siemens Mobility’s intelligent traffic operations. He now joins Holon’s executive team alongside CFO Clemens Rengier and CTO Flavio Friesen to oversee the global market launch of the Holon urban shuttle — an autonomous, electric vehicle designed for shared transit systems.

“Markus Schlitt is a proven expert in intelligent urban mobility solutions,” said Bentler CEO Ralf Göttel in a statement to the Business Journal Tuesday morning. “His expertise will help to further consolidate the ecosystem around our vehicles.”

The leadership transition comes at a pivotal moment for Holon, which is investing heavily in Jacksonville to build its flagship U.S. manufacturing facility. Set to open in 2026, the 500,000-square-foot plant will produce around 5,000 shuttles annually and create 150 jobs initially, with supply chain ripple effects potentially generating 1,000 more.

Jacksonville was selected for its regulatory support of autonomous vehicles and alignment with Holon’s U.S. strategy. The company aims to meet “Buy America” and Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards so that transit agencies and private operators can tap into federal funding to deploy the shuttles nationwide.

Outgoing CEO von Watzdorf helped secure the Jacksonville production site, launch the vehicle prototype and lock-in initial purchase agreements.

“He was responsible for key milestones,” Göttel said.

The Holon urban, with seating for up to 15 and a top speed of 37 mph, is engineered for ridepooling, campus transit, and other localized public mobility needs. It will begin pilot testing later this year in Hamburg, Germany, before ramping up in the U.S.

Holon’s expansion aligns with Jacksonville’s broader ambitions to become a national hub for autonomous mobility. The Jacksonville Transportation Authority is advancing pilot programs and the Ultimate Urban Circulator, while the University of Florida plans to launch an AI degree program downtown. Local officials have framed Holon’s investment as the missing manufacturing link in a growing innovation ecosystem.

“JTA is a national leader with autonomous vehicles,” JAXUSA Partnership President Aundra Wallace previously told the Business Journal. “Holon’s investment brings the production element to a robust innovation ecosystem in place, and we expect only growth from here on out.”