Hyundai celebrates a year at the Nurburgring

Hyundai celebrates a year at the Nurburgring

Hyundai is celebrating its first anniversary with the Nurburgring since opening its test centre there last year.

Having tested more than 20 models over 4,000 laps during the last 12 months, the new facility has already made a significant contribution to the quality and performance of Hyundai vehicles.

Hyundai's 'Accelerated Durability Test' simulates a normal vehicle's lifecycle in just four to six weeks, covering 110 laps of the demanding circuit per week. Six professional test drivers repeatedly push each car close to the limit on the 20.8km (12 mile) track, assessing numerous key parameters, such as handling and suspension. In total, the intensive testing undertaken in the last year is equivalent to more than 1.4mil km of normal road use.

Allan Rushforth, senior vice president and COO at Hyundai Motor Europe, said: 'Our investment in the new test centre at the Nurburgring has already brought a valuable return for our business. Every lap of this challenging track helps to enhance the quality and performance of our cars, to the benefit of our customers. It's a vital part of our infrastructure that will play a key role in helping to develop our vehicles and our brand in Europe.'

Test results from the Nurburgring are shared with Hyundai's worldwide Research and Development network, including the global R&D headquarters in Namyang, Korea and the European centre in Russelsheim, Germany.

The centre at the Nurburgring officially opened in September 2013, following a 6,6mil (£5.3mil) investment. The location of the building was chosen for its direct access to the famous race track dubbed 'The Green Hell', due to its reputation as one of the toughest tracks in the world.

by: Rebecca Chaplin