Southern Hemisphere Proving Grounds (SHPG) is an international automotive proving facility based in

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

's Cardrona area. It is the only one of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, with its second operation undergoing development in southern Patagonia, Argentina. It covers 400ha of private land and usually operates during southern winter months. Global car manufacturers seek to test new models during the Northern Hemisphere summer. SHPG was established in the early 1990s, after Japanese motor companies

Toyota is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on August 28, 1937. Toyota is the List of manuf ...

and

Sumitomo The is a Japanese corporate group and '' keiretsu'' that traces its roots to the ''zaibatsu'' groups that were dissolved after World War II. Unlike the ''zaibatsu'' of the pre-war period, there is no controlling company with regulatory power. I ...

began inquiring for a suitable site for testing new engines and tyres in the southern snow. The facility operates under strict discretion for other clients and employs efforts to keep out of the public eye. SHPG also borders the

Snow Farm Snow Farm is a ski area near Wānaka, New Zealand, dedicated to cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing whereby skiers traverse snow-covered terrain without use of ski lifts or other assistance. Cross-country skiing ...

, a cross-country ski resort. In 2013, SHPG bought neighbouring snowsports terrain park Snow Park NZ, which had for several years been financially struggling, and developed it into its after market ice driving event centre.

References

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External links

*https://www.shpg.co.nz/ Companies of New Zealand Road test tracks Queenstown-Lakes District Automotive industry in New Zealand