HORIBA MIRA has unveiled its new driving simulator centre which provides engineers and manufacturers with a safe, controlled, efficient and cost-effective environment to work on vehicle performance and tackle complex engineering challenges.
Management at the vehicle testing centre, which is off the A5, near Hinckley, said the new facility will significantly reduce the need for physical vehicle testing and prototypes and the associated carbon emissions that come with them.
MIRA is used by dozens of the world’s biggest vehicle manufacturers to develop new models and has been at the forefront of testing autonomous technology for car giants including Ford and Jaguar Land Rover.
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More £4 million has been invested in the facility to enable established manufactures, start-ups and tier one suppliers to work on their products.
At the heart of it is one of the world’s most advanced and high-performance dynamic motion driving simulators – called the VI-grade DiM250 Dynamic Simulator.
It allows automotive companies to carry out virtual testing of issues such as vehicle dynamics, noise, vibration and drivability, alongside more futuristic areas such as advanced driver assistance systems and human machine interface.
HORIBA MIRA managing director Declan Allen said, “Through the newly launched Driving Simulator Centre, the speed, cost and complexity of refining driven vehicle attributes to meet today’s changing customer expectations is significantly reduced.”
Guido Bairati, managing director of VI-grade, said: “We are delighted that VI-grade and its simulators have been selected as the tools of choice for HORIBA MIRA and its Driving Simulator Centre.
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“With a long and respected automotive engineering history, we’re excited that both VI-grade’s DiM250 Dynamic Simulator and COMPACT simulator will be supporting global automotive manufacturers and suppliers as they look ahead to future vehicle programmes and engineering challenges.”
Based on a former Second World War airstrip MIRA has been used to develop vehicles for almost 80 years.