Toyota Plans Proving Ground with ‘Ring-like Test Track

Toyota Motor Corp. is investing 300 billion yen ($2.8 billion) to build a research and development center in Japan that will focus on electrified and other “green” technologies.

The new proving ground will be located on a 1,600-acre site in Japan’s Aichi prefecture, near Toyota’s headquarters. Japanese media say the facility will be partially opened next year and fully operational in 2023.

The site will have 11 tracks designed to reproduce various driving conditions around the world. One 3.3-mile circuit, which is being modeled after Germany’s demanding Nurburgring course, will feature sharp curves and a 250-ft change in altitude.

Engineers and other employees will be reassigned to the facility from Toyota's headquarters and other operations. As many as 3,300 people are expected to staff the complex by 2023 and up to another 550 could be added later, The Nikkei reports.

With the addition of the new facility, Toyota plans to more sharply focus the vehicle testing conducted at other locations. Its proving ground on the Japanese island of Hokkaido, for example will specialize in cold-weather testing, while its r&d complex in Shizuoka will develop autonomous vehicle and other next-generation technologies.