Northern city thrives on frigid car tests

HARBIN — With the temperature outside nearing — 25 C, Jin Lei planted his foot on the accelerator and drove along a test road on a frozen river, turning and braking occasionally as snow flew up behind the wheels.

Since November, Jin has been working in Heihe, a city in China's northernmost province of Heilongjiang, to test vehicles.

Before a new car goes on sale, it has to undergo cold-weather testing.

"We come to Heihe to test all the parts of the vehicle, and their performance in frigid conditions," said Jin, a test engineer at an unnamed car company.

The data he collects provides important references for adjustments to vehicle parameters.

Heihe has various favorable conditions for cold-area car testing, including diverse landforms and cold, dry weather in the winter. Its high-quality services have drawn more and more carmakers to test their latest models in the city in recent years.

Back in 1989, the Jiefang truck division of China FAW Group held its first car test in Heihe.

Over the following 30-plus years, the city has seen a rapid increase in car testing companies and personnel.

Zhao Xinhong, general manager of Heilongjiang Red Valley Automotive Test Co, said the company has more than 10 cold-area car testing bases that can facilitate dozens of cold-area car testing projects.

He said the company has cooperated with over 100 domestic and foreign brands, vehicle parts manufacturers and research institutions.

In recent years, Heihe has improved its infrastructure and services to boost its car-testing industry.

Wang Yulong, director of the Heihe industry and information technology bureau, said the city has 12 car testing enterprises and more than 120 testing roads, which can meet requirements for different conditions.

He said Heihe has opened facilities including a reception service center for car testing enterprises, and introduced regulations for cold-area car testing industry services.

Statistics show the city's cold-area car testing business volume accounts for more than 80 percent of China's total.

According to Chen Gang, an expert from the China Society of Automotive Engineers, the number of new vehicles is increasing, and the research and development cycle is becoming shorter, which provides more space for the development of Heihe's cold-area car testing industry.

The booming industry has also injected vitality into local economic development.

Data shows that during the annual car testing season, Heihe's car testing industry generates hundreds of millions of yuan in revenue for sectors such as accommodation, catering, retail and transportation.

Xinhua