The largest proving ground in China named the Guangde Proving Ground (with more than 60 kilometers or 37 miles of test roads) has just been opened. This won’t have been possible without General Motors, SAIC, Shanghai GM and the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC). The 5.67-square-kilometer (2.18 square miles) Guangde Proving Ground in Guangde County, Anhui, has the capability of conducting 67 driving conditions. Building it required a total investment of RMB 1.6 billion ($253 million). Managing its operations are Shanghai GM and PATAC. They’re also responsible for its comprehensive support facilities. Kevin Wale, president, GM China, and chief country operations officer, China, India and ASEAN, said that GM has installed several of the most sophisticated technology and processes in the industry to this proving ground. The Guangde Proving Ground could undertake development, validation, certification, quality control evaluation, load data collection and analysis for vehicles lighter than 7.5 tons. It could test as many as 140 vehicles at the same time. Each year, around 20 million kilometers (12.4 million miles) worth of testing can be conducted. The proving ground simulates various driving conditions in China. It has eight specific test areas: an oval track, vehicle dynamics test area, long straightaway, ride and handling loop, noise test road, durability test area, corrosion test area and hill test area. Furthermore, it has 23,000 square meters (247,569 square feet) of auxiliary space for labs, repair facilities and private workshops.
GM opens the largest proving ground in China
by Andrew Christian, Email, 30 Sep, 2012
