SAIC Group and China Tiesiju Civil Engineering Group (CTCE) this week completed construction of a high temperature vehicle test centre and track in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in the north-west of China.

The new centre will allow carmakers to test their vehicles in extreme weather conditions including some of the hottest and driest conditions in China. Daytime temperature in the Turpan basin of Xinjiang Uygur has been known to reach 83C and the scarcity of rainfall means it is one of the most arid regions on the planet.

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CTCE Group director Song Heng said the centre, which took three years to build, can test up to 1,200 conventional vehicles and 400 new energy vehicles per year, as well as 8,000 types of automobile components. He added the centre passed all the final inspections and meets German automotive industry standards which is important for SAIC group's main joint venture partner Volkswagen group.

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