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| Hyundai Motor Executive Vice Chairman Chung Euisun, second from left, shakes hands with Hankook Technology Group Vice Chairman Cho Hyun-sik in a signing ceremony under which the country's top automotive group plans to install its test drive center in Taean, which is being built by Hankook Technology Group. The signing was held in the Hyundai Motor Group headquarters in Yangjae, southern Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group |
By Kim Yoo-chul
Hyundai Motor Group plans to establish the "ultimate test drive center" in Taean, South Chungcheong Province, sometime within the first half of 2022.
The country's largest car manufacturing conglomerate has teamed up with Hankook Technology Group, which is on track to build a massive advanced drive center in the coastal city, Hyundai said in a statement, Wednesday. Present at the signing ceremony were Hyundai Motor Executive Vice Chairman Chung Euisun, Hankook Technology Group Vice Chairman Cho Hyun-sik and senior executives from each.
Hankook Technology Group is in the process of building a 1.26-square-meter site in terms of the total land including a 4.6-kilometer closed-circuit racetrack, in addition to roads for function- and speed-related tests under different track conditions.
Under the agreement, Hyundai Motor Group is able to access all the main facilities of the test site and also build a customer experience center.
The test site will house four experience tracks and another four experience zones. Each of the experience tracks, designed to test driving conditions, can be set up in different configurations. There are also plans to build a large-scale lounge that could house up to 300 personnel, with designated rooms for kids, as well as conference rooms and shops selling brand collections of Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group.
BMW is operating its own driving center close to Korea's gateway international airport in Incheon, inviting existing and potential BMW customers to push their vehicles to the limit.
