Safety takes center stage at Volkswagen with its new test center

Cars are constantly evolving, a fact reflected in every single one of the components that bring to life both today’s models and those of the future. One very important aspect of the automotive world is, without a doubt, safety, which over time is being promoted more and more by both manufacturers and users. This is something Volkswagen keeps firmly in mind, and that is why it has set up a new safety facility to test its future models.

The German company has decided to expand its installations with the creation of new safety tests, which require a total area of 8,000 square metres spread across three floors. In this way, the engineers at Volkswagen will have a vast space -and I use the word advisedly- to research, improve and develop new safety technologies and, at the same time, be in a position to generate more realistic tests.

The brand’s main objective has been to implement new systems that allow it to recreate accidents or pedestrian impacts as realistically as possible, which is crucial for steering its future creations down a much safer path for both vehicle occupants and pedestrians. This has been made possible not only by the construction of the new facility, but also by various technologies that help make the engineers’ work easier and, at the same time, make the tests more precise.

A new and sophisticated hydraulic sled system allows Volkswagen to subject its vehicles to forward “pitching” and lateral “rolling” situations, which will give the German firm the opportunity to develop even safer models. At the same time, they will also use the new facilities to keep exploring systems such as automatic emergency braking in the event of a collision, a situation in which the vehicle reaches a speed of 80 km/h and comes to a complete stop in the face of an adverse scenario.

Furthermore, the engineers will also take the opportunity to test vehicles that reach speeds of up to 100 km/h and, at the same time, will place loads of up to three tonnes on them to check their strength. Another novelty is the pallet-changing system, since it allows the next test to be prepared while the previous one is being carried out, which will not only improve the safety of Volkswagen models, but also efficiency within the factory.

These new facilities, located at the Wolfsburg headquarters, will allow the German firm to continue increasing the safety of its models and, at the same time, to develop and implement new technologies such as autonomous driving. This will be possible within a not-too-distant timeframe, and Volkswagen intends to venture into this field just like its other competitors.