As construction continues on the paint shop at our new assembly plant on Detroit’s east side, another structure is taking shape in the northeast corner of the site that will house the plant’s new test track.

Located entirely under one roof, the 95,000-square-foot facility will validate that all vehicles rolling off the line are free of buzzes, squeaks and rattles before being shipped to our customers.

At 1,300 feet long – long enough to lay New York’s Empire State Building flat – and wide enough at one point to accommodate four lanes of traffic, the new test track will replicate 10 driving conditions commonly encountered during daily driving, including pot holes, manhole covers and patched pavement. A “Figure 8” also will be incorporated to test vehicle articulation. Two steering wheel centering lanes will validate each vehicle’s wheel alignment.

Constructed of 355 tons of steel and 2,350 cubic yards of concrete, the new test track is our second such facility in the U.S., the first being the one built at the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant to test the new Ram 1500.

In February, FCA announced a $1.6 billion investment to build the first new assembly plant in the city of Detroit in nearly 30 years, adding 3,850 new jobs. The new plant will produce the next-generation Jeep_® Grand Cherokee and all-new three-row, full-size Jeep SUV and electrified models.