Photo: YouTube screenshot
If the mountain doesn't come to Mohamet, Mohamet will go to the mountain. The saying would definitely apply in this case if it weren't for Toyota's repeated presence on the Nürburgring, so it's probably more a case of reducing logistics costs.
That's not the only benefit to have from building a Nürburgring-like track in your own backyard, though. It will also allow the Japanese carmaker to test its vehicles away from the prying eyes of the spy photographers who give us those juicy shots of yet unreleased cars, meaning there's no need to waste any more time with the camouflage.
Speaking of time savings, that's nothing compared to what goes into preparing the vehicle for its flight to Germany - assuming it wasn't designed and built in one of the company's European centers. In fact, the decision would be a no-brainer for any manufacturer, and it all comes down to costs.
You can imagine that building a 12.9 miles (20.7 km) circuit isn't exactly cheap, especially when the track in question has the elevation variation of the German classic. Well, that's probably why Toyota's version will only measure 3.3 miles (5.3 kilometers) and will only reproduce - as accurately as possible - a few of the circuit's famous corners.
The new track will be one of eleven built as part of a new research and development center situated in Aichi, central Honshu Island, Japan, Nikkei Asian Review informs. It would appear the total investment nears $3 billion, and it's aimed primarily at the development of electric vehicles which will sell on important markets such as the U.S.A or Europe.
Toyota has never been the go-to manufacturer when it came to handling characteristics, but if what one Mazda engineer says is to be believed, that might be about to change. And with a miniature Nürburgring at its full disposal 24/7, we should begin to see even more fun-driving Toyotas.
Speaking of time savings, that's nothing compared to what goes into preparing the vehicle for its flight to Germany - assuming it wasn't designed and built in one of the company's European centers. In fact, the decision would be a no-brainer for any manufacturer, and it all comes down to costs.
You can imagine that building a 12.9 miles (20.7 km) circuit isn't exactly cheap, especially when the track in question has the elevation variation of the German classic. Well, that's probably why Toyota's version will only measure 3.3 miles (5.3 kilometers) and will only reproduce - as accurately as possible - a few of the circuit's famous corners.
The new track will be one of eleven built as part of a new research and development center situated in Aichi, central Honshu Island, Japan, Nikkei Asian Review informs. It would appear the total investment nears $3 billion, and it's aimed primarily at the development of electric vehicles which will sell on important markets such as the U.S.A or Europe.
Toyota has never been the go-to manufacturer when it came to handling characteristics, but if what one Mazda engineer says is to be believed, that might be about to change. And with a miniature Nürburgring at its full disposal 24/7, we should begin to see even more fun-driving Toyotas.
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