Hot on the heels of announcing the return of the International brand to the New Zealand market, Navistar Inc. has opened a comprehensive proving ground facility in Indiana, USA.
Located little more than an hour’s drive from Navistar’s global headquarters near Chicago, opening of the Navistar Proving Grounds highlights the corporation’s ongoing commitment to achieving the highest standards of durability and reliability across all its products.
Covering more than 270ha, the vast proving grounds provide Navistar with full in-house testing facilities across the entire portfolio of models from light weight rigids and school buses up to line haulers, heavy-duty specialists and military vehicles.
Recently purchased from the Robert Bosch company, the site includes a 5km paved and banked oval in addition to the full composite of commercial vehicle testing facilities including:
Brake testing capabilities which include infrastructure, complete instrumentation and computerised data acquisition;
Structural durability and accelerated mileage accumulation on a multitude of road surfaces able to impart high impact and chassis twist conditions as well as cobblestone and rough off-road sections and high-speed operations;
Specialised testing for vehicle noise and handling, stability and safety, traction control, lift-off ability on grades up to 60 percent, as well as specific powertrain durability testing.
“The new Navistar Proving Grounds is a strategic addition to our product development operations and will play an important role in our mission to deliver industry-leading uptime for our customers,” said Bill Kozek, president of Navistar Truck and Parts.
“Beyond testing our latest vehicles and innovative technologies, we will also use the site as a customer centre to showcase new products and give customers an opportunity to experience our vehicles first-hand.”
Commenting on the opening of the Navistar Proving Grounds, Navistar Auspac managing director Tim Quinlan said, “This announcement comes at an ideal time, immediately after the hugely successful launch of International at the recent Brisbane Truck Show.
“It is a very significant investment which demonstrates Navistar’s commitment to providing exceptional standards of reliability across the entire product portfolio.
“Best of all though, the product enhancements which will evolve as a direct result of testing at the new proving grounds will flow through to the customers of all International products in all markets.”
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