Toyota's latest proving grounds mimics Nurburgring

The country road test course provides 3.3 miles with numerous corners and nearly 250 feet of elevation change.

Toyota is celebrating progress building its new Technical Center Shimoyama, an extensive R&D facility located in mountainous terrain between Toyota City and Okazaki.

The freshly completed central section features a 3.3-mile Nurburgring-inspired country test course, with 75 meters in elevation change and a wide range of curves and corners.

By 2023, the facility will have an eastern section featuring a high-speed test course and specialized tracks that reproduce particular road surfaces from around the globe. A western section will be populated by vehicle development facilities.

Spread across approximately 2.5 square miles of land, the R&D center aims to preserve more than half the space as trees and greenery.

The Japanese automaker plans to spend the equivalent of nearly $2.7 billion USD to complete the facility.