Lang Lang Proving Ground
| Company type | Subsidiary facilities |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive testing and development |
| Founded | 1924 |
| Headquarters | United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Vehicle testing and development facilities |
Number of employees | 4800 (2025) |
| Parent | General Motors |
Desert Proving Ground Yuma
Established through a partnership between General Motors and the US Army, the Desert Proving Ground Yuma became fully functional in July 2009. Situated within the US Army’s Yuma Proving Ground near Yuma, Arizona, this facility encompasses an internal complex featuring extensive building space and numerous miles of roadway. Its strategic location benefits from a designated no-fly zone, which safeguards pre-production prototypes against unauthorized aerial photography. The US Army also utilizes this site for its testing purposes.
Notable components include:
- Three-lane circle track
- Two to three-lane straight track
- Ride Road with two to four lanes
- Dynamics Pad
- Interior Noise Road and Noise Pass-by Facility
- Multiple testing grades
- Main building equipped with 40 garage hoists and office space accommodating 120 personnel
- Product Electronics and Instrumentation Laboratory
- Facilities for alignment, tire testing, and transmission assembly
- Machine and fabrication workshop alongside parts storage
- Large warehouse
- Sundrella area featuring 40 hoists, covered parking, fueling station, car wash, scale house, and ballast station
Milford Proving Ground
Dating back to its inauguration in 1924 as the automotive sector's pioneering dedicated test site, General Motors' Milford Proving Ground holds the distinction of being the longest continuously active proving ground worldwide. Located in Milford, Michigan, it covers a vast area and employs roughly 4,800 individuals across 142 buildings as of April 2025. The site boasts approximately miles of roadways designed to replicate public road conditions along with specialized surfaces for thorough vehicle evaluations.
Key installations comprise:
- Vehicle Dynamics Test Area (VDTA or "Black Lake"): an asphalt pad designed for vehicle dynamics testing featuring semicircular acceleration tracks and specialized low-friction surfaces made from ceramic tiles and Jennite sealant
- Oval Track: a circuit measuring miles
- Circle Track: a banked circular track with five lanes allowing speeds exceeding 100 MPH (160 km/h), constructed with durable hard dolomite concrete
- North/South Straightaway: total length includes two straight sections each miles long
- East/West Straightaway: roughly miles long with two straightaways measuring 1.2 miles each
- "Seven Sisters": a compact course consisting of seven sharp curves utilized for transient lateral acceleration tests; only one vehicle is permitted on this course at any given time
- 12 Mile Road: replicates the original pavement texture found on Detroit’s historic 12 Mile Road
- Ride and Handling Loop: enclosed within the Circle Track, featuring diverse surfaces and curves for handling assessments
- Vehicle Safety & Crashworthiness Laboratory: recently enhanced with a rollover test facility to improve safety testing capabilities
Cupuán Proving Ground
Located between Lázaro Cárdenas and Uruapan in Michoacán, Mexico, General Motors’ Cupuán del Río Proving Ground was inaugurated in 2006. This site includes a circle track and various off-road courses primarily dedicated to HVAC system evaluations. Since 2011, due to security challenges in the region, the facility has been largely abandoned except for a minimal presence of local security personnel.
Cruz Alta Proving Ground, Brazil
Founded in 1974 in Indaiatuba, Brazil, General Motors’ Cruz Alta Proving Ground stands as Latin America’s largest and most advanced proving ground as well as GM’s second largest worldwide. It features sophisticated test tracks that simulate diverse road conditions to support comprehensive vehicle testing. GM do Brasil prioritizes environmental conservation by situating the facility within a 4.6 million square meter forest reserve that combines reforested zones with remnants of the original Atlantic Forest. Additionally, the site collaborates with IBAMA to monitor native wildlife species such as capybaras.
Testzentrum Dudenhofen
Opel manages a test facility near Dudenhofen, Germany, which commenced operations in 1964. The site boasts a 4.8-kilometer high-speed track, a 900-meter stretch of Belgian pavé, and a hill circuit featuring gradients reaching 30%. Since 2021, Opel has been independent from General Motors ownership.
Arjeplog
Near Arjeplog, Sweden, Opel maintains a winter testing ground equipped with ice tracks. This location experiences an average temperature of –11 °C in January and is utilized for cold-weather vehicle evaluations.
Lang Lang Proving Ground
Located approximately 90 kilometers southeast of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia, the Lang Lang Proving Ground was established by Holden in 1957 on a 2,152-acre property. It served as the primary testing venue for all Holden models starting from the FC series. The complex includes 44 kilometers of roadways: a 4.7-kilometer four-lane speed bowl, a 5.5-kilometer handling circuit, a 1.8-kilometer noise track, and a skid pan. Additionally, it houses facilities for emissions testing and safety evaluations.
In February 2020, General Motors announced the shutdown of both the test track and design center following its withdrawal from worldwide right-hand drive manufacturing, resulting in job eliminations across the site. Subsequently, VinFast acquired the proving ground in September 2020 and continued operations under GM Specialty Vehicles (GMSV). Nevertheless, VinFast ended local engineering functions by October 2021 and placed the facility on the market. As of 2024, the site remains unsold.
Guangde County, Anhui, China
In September 2012, Shanghai GM (SGM) together with the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC)—joint ventures between SAIC Motor and GM China—inaugurated China's largest automotive proving ground located in Guangde County, Anhui, China.
Mezcala Proving Ground
GM planned to develop a proving ground at Mezcala, Mexico; however, the project was abandoned during the planning phase due to complications in land acquisition negotiations. This facility was intended to assume responsibilities from the Desert Proving Ground (DPG) following GM's announcement of DPG's closure in 2000. The original DPG ceased operations in 2009 and was replaced by the Desert Proving Ground Yuma in Arizona.
Desert (Mesa) Proving Ground
The GM Desert Proving Ground located in Mesa, Arizona operated from 1953 until 2009. It specialized in testing HVAC systems, propulsion components, and various automotive technologies under extreme environmental conditions. This site was succeeded by the Desert Proving Ground Yuma facility.
See also
- Nardò Ring
- Ehra-Lessien (Volkswagen)
- Fiorano Circuit (Ferrari)
- Ford Proving Grounds
- Mazda Proving Grounds
- Nissan Proving Grounds