Toyota Has Opened Its Nürburgring-Like Test Track
Toyota has just completed and opened a new proving grounds facility in Japan with a Nürburgring-inspired race track as one of its main features.
The Nürburgring Nordschleife is arguably the most famous circuit in the world. Located in Germany, its length, complexity and wide range of corner profiles has made it a popular destination for car enthusiasts to enjoy a track day and for car manufacturers to test their or prove their sports cars.
But why go to the Nürburgring when you can build one in your backyard? “Based on long experience at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, which is famous throughout the world for its grueling driving conditions, Toyota has designed an exacting test course that takes advantage of local topography and features a roughly 75-meter change in elevation between its highest and lowest points, as well as a wide range of curves and corners,” the automaker says.
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The track is much shorter than the real Nürburgring — 3.3 miles compared to 16.12 — but images of the track are somewhat reminiscent of the German circuit, and Toyota seems very serious about the ultimate goal that this new facility was built to help realize: to make its cars more fun to drive.
“With the aim of making ever-better cars, we have continued to make various efforts in ‘feeling the road’ and ‘conversing with cars’ through driving tests around the world,” said Toyota president Akio Toyoda. With the replication of severe driving conditions at the new test course, we intend to thoroughly hone every one of our models and develop the types of cars that epitomize the true joy of driving.”
It’s a big project, but Toyota won’t have to worry about other races taking place at the track or other automaker using the facilities. That kind of access will allow it to make progress where competitors would just have to wait.
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