Horiba Mira’s Driving Simulator Centre aimed at accelerating automotive development

A new Driving Simulator Centre will provide a “safe, controlled, efficient and cost-effective environment” to optimise vehicle performance and tackle complex engineering challenges, its owner and operator has said.

Automotive testing specialist Horiba Mira opened the new facility at its UK head office in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, today (28 September).

More than £4m was invested in the new facility, which will be open to established automotive OEMs, start-up vehicle manufacturers, and tier one suppliers.

The centre has a DiM250 Dynamic Simulator from VI-Grade at its heart. Offering high-performance dynamic motion, the simulator is designed to reduce the need for physical vehicle testing and prototypes, reducing associated carbon emissions.

Capability from new virtual tools “will deliver vehicle attributes that conform to brand DNA faster, more sustainably and at a reduced development cost,” Horiba Mira said.

Virtual development will mainly be focused on driven attributes, such as vehicle dynamics, noise, vibration and harshness (NVH), and driveability. It will also include advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and the human-machine interface.

Declan Allen, managing director at Horiba Mira, 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.”

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