Nissan Completes New High Speed Test Track

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09-11-06, 07:44 AM

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Nissan Completes New High Speed Test Track

Text & Photos edited by Clinton Deacon
Source: Nissan Motor Corporation
edited 09-11-2006

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., announced the completion of an 8.1 km high-speed test track at its Hokkaido Proving Ground in Rikubetsu, Ashoro, making it the company’s longest high-speed circuit in Japan. The track, which was built at a cost of 3.2 billion yen ($27.52 million), is designed to allow speeds of more than 300 kilometers per hour (about 187.5 miles per hour).

The Hokkaido Proving Ground in Hokkaido, Japan’s northern most island, already consists of a 7.2 km track that mirrors driving conditions on suburban roads and circuit courses in Europe.

“With this new high-speed track, Nissan will be able to conduct comprehensive vehicle testing, from ordinary road driving to ultra high-speed driving. This will allow us to further improve on the quality and performance of our vehicles,” said Mitsuhiko Yama****a, executive vice president and head of research and development at Nissan.

The high-speed track is modeled after the German Autobahn with continuous slopes and curves, as well as various road surfaces. In addition to research into vehicle behavior at high and ultra-high speeds, Nissan will use the track to research driver behavior, intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and other driver support systems.

The Hokkaido Proving Ground is Nissan’s largest vehicle testing facility in Japan with a land area of 7.05 million square meters. Its location in Rikubetsu, the coldest municipality in Japan, also makes the sprawling test track ideal for cold-weather testing. In winter, temperatures drop to an average minus 15 degrees centigrade.

Nissan has three other testing facilities in Japan, two in Tochigi prefecture and one in Kanagawa prefecture. The Tochigi Proving Ground in Tochigi prefecture has a 6.5 km high-speed circuit. The Motegi Proving Ground, also in Tochigi, has a 3.3 km circuit. The Oppama Proving Ground in Kanagawa is 2.4 km long. The company’s only major overseas testing facility – the 12.34 million square meter Arizona Test Center in the US – has a 9.1 km high-speed circuit.

Note: Amount in dollars are translated for the convenience of the reader only at the foreign exchange rate of 116.28 yen/dollar, based on the rate in effect as of Sept. 8, 2006.

Hokkaido Proving Ground details:

1.
Location:
48-1, Aza-Rinnai, Rikubetsu-cho, Ashoro-gun, Hokkaido

2.
Total area:
Approx. 7.05 million sq. m. (130 times the size of Sapporo Dome, 150 times the size of Tokyo Dome)

3.
Main facilities:
Country roads, up and downhill roads, straight roads, dirt circuit track, off-road test track

4.
History of Hokkaido Proving Ground:

1986
October: Rikubetsu selected as candidate for new Nissan proving ground
December: Announcement of decision to build Rikubetsu proving grounds

1988
June: Construction begins

1991
December: First phase of construction completed (country roads, dirt circuit completed, operations started)

1992
January: Launch of cold-weather vehicle testing
September: Launch of summer testing (hilly terrain)

1999
December: Second phase of construction completed (up and downhill roads completed)

2004
July: Construction of high-speed circuit begins

2006
August: Construction of high-speed circuit completed

source : japanesecarfans