Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
BMW'S new multi-million dinar Aerodynamic Test Centre promises more precise testing to enhance the driving performance and efficiency of all the company's models.
The car maker says it also marks a new chapter in its journey towards completely sustainable automotive engineering.
Optimised aerodynamics in the development of new models has a direct impact on a car's fuel economy and emission management, with a 10 per cent reduction of air drag equating to a 2.5 per cent reduction in fuel consumption. It also improves performance, driving dynamics and road handling through a more precise measurement of uplift and downforce.
A wind tunnel will generate precise and realistic measurements, recreating real-life situations without any distortion. This is made possible through the use of an eight-metre fan for horizontal testing, able to generate winds of 300 km/h or 180 mph, and a fan for vertical testing, positioned directly over the middle of the tunnel.
Cutting-edge technology maps the results of the testing, helping BMW experts to refine design developments in future models.
In addition, the centre in Dingolfing, Germany, houses the Aerolab, a high-tech facility where scale models can be tested and complex calculations run, enabling crucial feedback to be inputted to the development process at an earlier stage than ever before.
