May 13, 2013: Jaguar Land Rover has inaugurated a new engineering test centre in Dubai to conduct extreme hot weather vehicle research, development and testing. With desert temperatures typically reaching 48 to 50 degrees Celsius during summer, the 11,120 square feet facility at the Al Barsha area of Dubai 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 five global test facilities: Nurburgring, Germany; Arjeplog, Sweden; Phoenix and International Falls, USA, and Dubai, UAE.
JLR’s director of Engineering Technical Services, Martyn Hollingsworth said: “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.”
Robin Colgan, MD, Jaguar Land Rover MENA (Middle East and North Africa) said, “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.”
Jaguar Land Rover has been conducting hot weather testing in the MENA region for more than 12 years, and the new Dubai facility replaces a smaller facility in Dubai Investments Park.