China's first auto wind tunnel center, one of the four key facilities for auto research and development, is being built in Shanghai, according to a Chinese press. The facility will be the largest of its kind in Asia, with an investment of nearly 500 million yuan (US$65.14 million), the press said.

China's first auto wind tunnel center, one of the four key facilities for auto research and development, is being built in Shanghai.

The Shanghai Automotive Wind Tunnel Center, invested by domestic carmakers including Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp and Chery, is expected to be completed this year.

The new facility is expected to substantially help cut expenses for domestic carmakers that until now have had to send their cars overseas for tests, industry insiders said. Chinese carmakers usually test their independently-developed cars in European wind tunnel centers and the cost can be as high as 3,000 euros (US$4,048) per hour. New models need to be tested for between 400-600 hours.

In recent years, wind tunnel centers are more technologically sophisticated than the other three facilities for auto development: auto testing fields, impact lines and electro magnetic compatibility labs, explained Wan Gang, Chinese Minister of Science and Technology and the former president of Shanghai-based Tongji University.

Wang noted the new auto wind tunnel center will significantly assist China's independent auto development and auto industry.

The new center will provide services for research and development by Chinese carmakers at half the price of its overseas counterparts. So far, eight carmakers including Shanghai Volkswagen and Shanghai GM have signed letters of intent with the center, according to the press.

In wind tunnel centers, various driving conditions are simulated to test the car's fuel economy, safety and appearance as well as the performance of car parts.

According to industry experts, a country needs an auto wind tunnel when its auto production reaches 500,000 to one million units. In 2006, China's auto production exceeded seven million units and it is expected to hit eight million this year, according to Zhang Xiaoyu, director-general of the Society of Automotive Engineers of China.

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