Chrysler LLC operates proving ground

Proving ground

A proving ground is the US name for a military installation or reservation where weapons or other military technology are experimented or tested, or where military tactics are tested...

s around North America, for development and validation testing of new vehicles.

Arizona Proving Ground (Yucca, Arizona)

Location:34°52′29"N 114°7′31"W

The Arizona Proving Ground is a vehicle test facility established in 1955 in Yucca, Arizona

Yucca, Arizona

Yucca is an unincorporated community in Mohave County, Arizona, United States. Located along Interstate 40, it lies southwest of Kingman, just east of the southern section of the Black Mountains and west of the Hualapai and McCracken Mountains in the Sacramento Valley. Yucca has a ZIP Code of...

. It was owned and operated by Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...

 based in Dearborn, Michigan

Dearborn, Michigan

-Economy:Ford Motor Company has its world headquarters in Dearborn. In addition its Dearborn campus contains many research, testing, finance and some production facilities. Ford Land controls the numerous properties owned by Ford including sales and leasing to unrelated businesses such as the...

, until Chrysler LLC announced on November 2, 2007 that it had purchased the facility for $34.9 Million. APG is located at the foot of the Hualapai

Hualapai

The Hualapai or Walapai are a tribe of Native Americans who live in the mountains of northwestern Arizona, United States. The name is derived from "hwa:l," the Hualapai word for ponderosa pine, "Hualapai" meaning "people of the ponderosa pine"...

 Mountains near Yucca, Arizona, 120 miles (200 km) southeast of Las Vegas

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

, situated between Lake Havasu

Lake Havasu

Lake Havasu is a large reservoir behind Parker Dam on the Colorado River, on the border between California and Arizona. Lake Havasu City sits on the lake's eastern shore. The lake has a capacity of . The concrete arch dam was built by the United States Bureau of Reclamation between 1934 and 1938...

 and Kingman, Arizona

Kingman, Arizona

Kingman is located in a desert climate on the edge of the Mojave Desert, but its higher elevation and location between the Colorado Plateau and the Lower Colorado River Valley tempers summer high temperatures and contributes to winter cold and rare snowfall. Summer daytime highs reach above 90 °F ...

.

The facility was originally Yucca Army Airfield

Yucca Army Airfield

Yucca Army Airfield is a former military airfield located about west of Yucca, in Mohave County, Arizona. It is on the east side of Interstate 40, south of Kingman. It is presently used as a testing facility by Chrysler LLC.- Military use:...

, an Army Air Corps

United States Army Air Corps

The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...

 training base, used during World War II. The field was declared surplus land by 1946 and the ownership was turned over to Ford in 1954.

Features

Arizona Proving Ground has more than 50 miles (80 km) of concrete and earthen surfaces on 3840 acres (1,554 ha) that are continuously maintained. It includes a five-mile (8 km) high speed banked oval track, with a myriad of other road testing surfaces. With extended operations in the nearby mountain range, at elevations ranging from 500 to 6500 feet (150 to 2000 m) above sea level, and varied terrain and annual temperatures ranging from 30 to 120 °F (0 to 50 °C)), APG provides a wide spectrum of vehicle testing conditions.

Details about the facility:

• An 18 acres (7.3 ha) vehicle dynamics area
• A water ingestion test area
• Vehicle corrosion test chambers
• Special test roads/surfaces for vehicle durability testing
• A water leak test facility
• A low friction facility suitable for ABS system testing
• Light truck structural durability
• Accelerated vehicle corrosion testing
• Car and truck thermal management
• Hot fuel and octane testing
• Splash testing/water ingestion testing
• FMVSS brake certification for car and light truck
• Tire traction testing for car and light truck
• Elevation - 1,950 feet (590 m)
• Average maximum summer temperature - 103 °F (39 °C)
• Average minimum winter temperature - 32 °F (15 °C)
• Average annual precipitation - 6.4 inches (160 mm)

Chelsea Proving Grounds (Chelsea, Michigan)

Location:42°16′3"N 84°2′45"W

Details about the facility:

• The facility covers an area of 3850 acres (15.6 km²)
• Sled-impact testing site
• Covered crash barrier
• Skid traction area
• Mileage accumulators
• Emissions certification Center
• Wind tunnel
• Corrosion testing facility

Arizona Proving Ground (Wittmann, Arizona)

Covers an area of 5555 acres (2,248 ha), of which 3836 acres (1,552.4 ha) are fenced.

The facility also includes an area to test sun exposure on vehicles and components, a city traffic course, a corrosion-preparation facility and access to mountain grades.

This facility is being retired as it has been sold to home builders / land developers.

Latitude and Longitude: 34°52′29″N 114°7′31″W / 34.87472°N 114.12528°W / 34.87472; -114.12528
External links=

• http://www.chryslerllc.com/pdf/about_us/Global_Facilities.pdf
• http://www.allpar.com/corporate/chelsea-proving-grounds.html
• http://www.chryslertestservices.com/services More Chrysler Proving Grounds Info