Sunday 12 May 2013

JLR boosts Middle East testing


JaguarLandRover (JLR) has enhanced its Middle East test programme by opening a new engineering test centre in Dubai, UAE, to conduct extreme hot weather vehicle research, development and testing.

With temperatures in the desert typically reaching 48 to 50°C in the summer months, the new 11,120 square feet facility in the Al Barsha area of Dubai, UAE will offer a comprehensive range of tests including durability, calibration and hot weather testing for heat and humidity.

The engineering team at the new centre, which replaces a smaller facility in Dubai, will also test powertrains, chassis and heat and ventilation systems, as well as the off-road and sand driving capability of Land Rover’s unique Terrain Response system.
JLR has a network of five global test facilities: Nurburgring, Germany; Arjeplog, Sweden; Phoenix and International Falls, USA, and Dubai, UAE.

JLR director of engineering technical services Martyn Hollingsworth said: “Jaguar Land Rover has ambitious plans for growth, and since 2008 we have been investing to enhance our engineering capability to help us deliver an unprecedented number of new and refreshed Jaguar and Land Rover models.”

This growth has provided significant opportunities for a wide range of companies including Horiba Automotive.

Hollingsworth continued: “Our new facility in Dubai is four times the size of the previous test centre and will enable us to enhance our testing of future products and technologies.  The engineering team is focused on the quality and durability of our products and an important part of this is rigorous environmental testing of our vehicles to ensure they can withstand even the harshest conditions.”

Robin Colgan, managing director JLR MENA (Middle East and North Africa) added: “We are delighted at the expansion of Jaguar Land Rover’s test facilities in the Middle East. Dubai offers some unique and very challenging environmental conditions, so if a vehicle passes our tests here we know it will perform in any hot weather environment.  The new facility will be crucial to the company’s continued success as every model for the European and MENA markets will be certified here in Dubai following thorough testing before going into global production.”

No doubt it will not be long before JLR's new Hotfire range of gasoline and diesel engines will be subjected to these conditions too as part of the enhanced programme of durability testing the engines are now undergoing.                            

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