Toyota cars won’t be boring to drive soon, thanks to this new test track

Toyota has completed the work needed for its central section in its Shimoyama facility aimed at developing and building better cars. The region is known for its mountainous landscape, located in an area that straddles the cities of Toyota and Okazaki. The section that Toyota finished made up primarily of winding country roads, and will serve as a test course for new vehicles, with partial operations taking place on April 25, 2019. 

The country road test track looks to be full of winding roads. Toyota has designed this 5.3-kilometer test course to exacting standards that are based on its experiences over the years with the Nürburgring Nordschleife, which is possibly one of the most intense and challenging courses to clear for any racing driver. The Shimoyama facility features local topography with an elevation change of around 75-meters between its highest and lowest points. The track will put new vehicles to the limit with uneven road surfaces and elevation changes taxing the brakes, engine, chassis, and suspension of new units. 

Toyota is investing big, as in 300 billion Yen, to bringing a better driving experience to consumers. The notion of Toyotas being boring to drive will hopefully be quashed sooner than we imagine. Several brands like Porsche, BMW, Mercedes use the Nürburgring as a testing ground to tune the performance of its sportier models to the highest standards, it will be exciting to see what kind of cars Toyota will be bringing to market knowing that they have been tried tested and proven in the brand’s own backyard ‘Nordschleife’. Developmental costs of flying or boating units all the way to Germany will no longer be needed since a 30-minute drive is all it takes to get an identical testing experience without all the tourists clamoring for a tourist lap on the German track. 

Moreover, a high-speed test course will be completed in 2023 and will reproduce road surfaces around the world. The western section of the area will house the development facilities. One of the key aspects of this facility is the integration with its environment. Approximately 650 hectares will be preserved in addition to the green spaces that were placed by Toyota while undertaking the project. Toyota intends to continue cooperating with experts, local governments, and communities in the vicinity for the conservation initiatives of the forest and valley bottom rice fields of the area.