Finnish tiremaker Nokian Tyres has announced plans to build a €16 million technology center for testing summer and winter tires in Santa Cruz de la Zarza, Spain, with construction starting in 2017.
According to the tiremaker, the new facility, just south of Madrid, will span 300 hectares and help boost year-round product development. The first stage of construction will be completed in 2017, with final construction finishing in late 2019.
“We wanted to find a place in Southern Europe with sunshine, warmth and hot temperatures. Naturally, the place would also need to have good air and road connections so that the tires, cars, test personnel and customers can easily reach it. We also intend to use the technology center for organizing product launch events,” said Antti-Jussi Tähtinen, vice president of marketing and communications for Nokian Tyres.
The technology center will also feature state-of-the-art technology and a 5-kilometer oval track that circles the area, Nokian said.
“This oval track with banked curves enables us to test our summer and winter tires with high speed ratings at speeds of up to 300 km/h (186 mph). There is a demand for tires with a high speed rating especially in Central Europe and North America, the two areas where we are currently seeking strong growth,” said Tähtinen.
Other test tracks will also be constructed inside the oval track to study and test aquaplaning, wet braking and handling, the tiremaker said. And, the test track will be suitable for most tire approval tests, such as noise testing, Nokian adds.
Nokian already has a test tracks north of the Arctic Circle at the Ivalo Testing Center, also known as “White Hell,” where it tests winter tires in snow and ice conditions.
