Nokian starts testing at Spanish proving ground 

Nokia, Finland – Nokian Tyres has begun testing at its new test centre in Santa Cruz de la Zarza, Spain, the Finnish tire maker announced 12 May. 

The centre includes 10 tracks for testing tires in extreme conditions, including a 7km oval track that circles the area.

According to Nokian, the 300-hectare location in enables year-round testing of summer, all-season, and winter tires, while the oval track allows for testing speed of up to 300km/h.

The centre, which features environmentally friendly technologies, such as over 1,000 solar panels, water recycling, and white roofs, will also be involved in researching new bio-based materials.

Nicknamed Hakka Ring, the test center is Nokian’s third testing facility, in addition to its 700-hectare site in Ivalo, Finland, and a centre near its Finnish headquarters in Nokia.

"All our test centres are investments in innovativeness, and the expansion of testing activities is a big and important leap for us,” said Olli Seppälä, head of R&D. 

The new centre, combined with the company’s Ivalo winter test center in Lapland, brings Nokian’s overall testing capability “to the highest possible level", he added. 

"Now we can test our tires in our own test center in all the conditions they are developed for. This is a big competitive advantage for us,” Seppälä continues.