Audi has opened its new Vehicle Safety Center at its Technology Park in Ingolstadt, Germany. The facility will allow the automaker to conduct many types of crash tests before launching a new model.
The facility, which took three years to build, cost around 100 million euros ($107 million at current exchange rates) and has around 100 employees working there. Audi designed the facility with the future in mind, ensuring the center can perform testing that goes beyond current crash standards the company must meet in various markets.
28 Pictures
The building will also allow Audi to conduct a large number and variety of crash tests compared to its previous facilities. The new building features a large, unsupported, integrated crash test floor, complete with state-of-the-art high-speed cameras and LED lighting.
The test arena features several intersecting crash strips, allowing Audi to perform 90-degree collisions between two vehicles. It also allows the company to crash cars sideways into obstacles. The building also houses a mock laboratory, component test benches, offices and workshops.
Audi will use more than 60 THOR crash test dummies in its evaluations, ranging in size from an 18-month-old child to a 225-pound adult. The mannequins have up to 150 sensors and are just one piece of a larger data puzzle. Three-dimensional scans help address post-test deformations in vehicles, while motion tracking helps capture the sequence of events.
Computer simulations play an important role in crash testing, with Audi performing tens of thousands of virtual crashes before even building a prototype. The company’s IT center, located in the same technology park, takes part in these tests.
Audi’s focus on safety dates back more than 80 years. The company opened its first crash room in Ingolstadt in 1970, which it used for the next 50 years. In 1972, Audi introduced crash test dummies into its facilities. The company’s efforts to make safer vehicles have earned it top safety ratings worldwide.
Audi’s efforts to make safe cars are paying off in the United States. This year, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety awarded seven Audi models the Top Safety Pick award. Five earned the Top Safety Pick+ designation, such as the 2023 Audi A5. A video from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showed how the Audi Q8 earned its five-star side-impact safety rating.
Audi has opened its new Vehicle Safety Center at its Technology Park in Ingolstadt, Germany. The facility will allow the automaker to conduct many types of crash tests before launching a new model.
The facility, which took three years to build, cost around 100 million euros ($107 million at current exchange rates) and has around 100 employees working there. Audi designed the facility with the future in mind, ensuring the center can perform testing that goes beyond current crash standards the company must meet in various markets.
28 Pictures
The building will also allow Audi to conduct a large number and variety of crash tests compared to its previous facilities. The new building features a large, unsupported, integrated crash test floor, complete with state-of-the-art high-speed cameras and LED lighting.
The test arena features several intersecting crash strips, allowing Audi to perform 90-degree collisions between two vehicles. It also allows the company to crash cars sideways into obstacles. The building also houses a mock laboratory, component test benches, offices and workshops.
Audi will use more than 60 THOR crash test dummies in its evaluations, ranging in size from an 18-month-old child to a 225-pound adult. The mannequins have up to 150 sensors and are just one piece of a larger data puzzle. Three-dimensional scans help address post-test deformations in vehicles, while motion tracking helps capture the sequence of events.
Computer simulations play an important role in crash testing, with Audi performing tens of thousands of virtual crashes before even building a prototype. The company’s IT center, located in the same technology park, takes part in these tests.
Audi’s focus on safety dates back more than 80 years. The company opened its first crash room in Ingolstadt in 1970, which it used for the next 50 years. In 1972, Audi introduced crash test dummies into its facilities. The company’s efforts to make safer vehicles have earned it top safety ratings worldwide.
Audi’s efforts to make safe cars are paying off in the United States. This year, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety awarded seven Audi models the Top Safety Pick award. Five earned the Top Safety Pick+ designation, such as the 2023 Audi A5. A video from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showed how the Audi Q8 earned its five-star side-impact safety rating.
