Hyundai inaugurates Nurburgring Test Facility

Bucket lists of many a motoring enthusiast features an entry called "Drive at the Nurburgring". Nurburgring is a racing circuit in Germany that is famed for its demanding nature. Over the years, high speed fatalities have also given the circuit a fearsome reputation of being one of the most challenging circuits for drivers/riders to drive/ride hard and fast. The Nurburgring, in its present state consists of 73 corners, 33 left and 40 right. The track is 20.48 kilometers long and consists of gradient changes spanning 300 meters between its highest and lowest points. 

Nurburgring's original purpose was different though. The circuit was set up in order to serve as a testing ground for automakers, while also playing host to motorsport events throughout the year. While many top motorsport events have eschewed the Nurburgring due to safety concerns, the track continues to be used by automakers as a testing ground while enthusiasts continue to use it for driving holidays. It isn't uncommon to spot test mules of global car brands being tested at the Ring and the latest automaker to jump onto the Nurburgring bandwagon is South korean automaker Hyundai.

A regular visitor to the Ring for testing its cars, it was only recently that the automaker established a formal presence at this racing circuit. Hyundai has just inaugurated a 9 million US dollar test facility at the Nurburgring, which will be known as the Hyundai European Test Centre. Spanning 39,000 square feet across 4 floors, Hyundai's European Test Centre at the Ring will spearhead the automaker's road testing activities with a special emphasis on vehicle dynamics and endurance. The facility's four floors comprise of workshops, office spaces and hospitality units. 

This centre supplements Hyundai's R&D centre at Russelsheim, Germany. As of now, the media spiel coming out of Hyundai suggests that learnings from the Nurburgring will be used mainly on the automaker's cars sold in the European car market. A trickle down effect of this program, to Hyundai cars sold in other international markets seems likely in the years to come. The South Korean car maker, known for building reliable and feature packed cars, often falls short in the dynamics department.

In that light, Hyundai's full-time Nurburgring presence could add an all new dimension to the automaker's cars of the future. In the Indian context, Hyundai has been working on improving the dynamics of its cars and the latest example of that is the Grand i10, which shows a marked improvement over the likes of the i10 and the i20 when it comes to delivering a planted ride over undulating surfaces. With the Nurburging test facility up and running, expect quicker progress on this front. Click here to read Team-BHP's official review of the Hyundai Grand i10.