BMW is now using a new company-owned test base in the town of Arjeplog in northern Sweden to test vehicles and components in arctic conditions.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
The facility is 56 kilometres (35 miles) south of the polar circle and, the automaker said, offers perfect climatic and logistic conditions for testing vehicle components and new models under development.
The centre, at a cost of about EUR16m, replaced several test sites in a number of countries.
The xDrive all-wheel-drive technology offered on 21 models was tested there and the automaker predicted that every fourth BMW sold worldwide “soon” will have AWD.
BMW is also focusing on ICM (integrated chassis management), combining a wide range of drive and control systems and integrating more components.
The new test centre offers optimum conditions for developing such technologies, allowing precise test and development routines under consistent conditions for the drivetrain, suspension, steering and brakes tested either individually or in their all-round interaction.
