GWM moves into Holden’s Lang Lang proving ground
An emerging brand has taken up residency at an “iconic” facility used to develop Australia’s best cars.
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China’s Great Wall Motors has moved into the spiritual home of Holden at the Lang Lang proving ground in Victoria.
The test facility used to shape many of Australia’s most-loved cars will be used to polish next-gen models built in China for Australian customers.
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Former Holden engineer and test driver, Rob Trubiani, will lead the development and localisation of GWM models on Holden’s old test track.
“Lang Lang is an iconic proving ground, one of the best in the world,” said Trubiani.
“It’s an absolute dream to be back, developing great cars specifically for Australian and New Zealand drivers. I know this track like the back of my hand, having spent a considerable amount of my career here with Holden.
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The intimate knowledge I have of the road network, combined with understanding the high-performance benchmarks required here, is key to ‘Aussifying’ our vehicles and ensuring what we develop here translates directly to real-world driving.
“LLPG (Lang Lang proving ground) provides me the ability to push vehicle dynamics to the edge, identifying precisely where we can optimise and improve. We’re not just tweaking cars, we’re transforming them to deliver the confidence, control, and comfort that local drivers deserve.”
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The test track will be used to address criticism of cars that have not quite matched class leaders for ride and handling performance.
The facility has a variety of roads that can be used to evaluate vehicles.
It includes rough and bumpy surfaces, a NASCAR-like high-speed bowl, skidpan, and a handling loop designed to simulate country roads.
John Kett, an experienced automotive executive who worked for Hyundai, FCA and Holden prior to joining GWM as its chief operating officer, says GWM’s full-time access to Lang Lang is “a statement of intent”.
“When Rob presented the idea of establishing Lang Lang as our home base for local development, it was met with overwhelming support, both locally and from our global leadership,” he said.
“Rob has been relentless in defining what the true GWM feel should be for our markets, and with the right tools now in place, we’re confident this investment will deliver improved products right here on home soil.”
Originally published as GWM moves into Holden’s Lang Lang proving ground
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