High-temperature vehicle testing site set up in Xinjiang

Work on the world's largest site to test automobiles in ultra-dry and ultra-hot conditions has been completed in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and is expected to bring in returns of more than 100 million yuan ($14.5 million) every year, officials said.

Located in a windy zone of Turpan, China's hottest region, the test site, which is the size of 3,270 standard soccer pitches, has been built by China Tiesiju Civil Engineering Group (CTCE) for the SAIC (Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp Group) Volkswagen joint venture. Day temperatures in Turpan, known as "the oven" since ancient times, can reach up to 83 C in summer, while the sparse rainfall in the region has resulted in an evaporation rate of over 3,000 millimeters.

The SAIC Volkswagen Xinjiang (Turpan) Test Center can test safety performances in an ultra-dry and ultra-hot environment for more than 1,200 fuel vehicles and 400 new energy vehicles every year, in addition to over 8,000 types of automobile components, according to CTCE Cyberspace Office Director Song Heng.