Europe gains down in Africa

Millbrook operator opens new proving ground in Morocco that offers development cost savings of 30-50% per car

- JULIAN RENDELL

A new 1200-acre vehicle proving ground has opened in North Africa with a unique low-cost operating structure that is claimed to save car makers between 30% and 50% on new car testing costs.

The Morocco Mobility and Automotive Centre (MMAC) is a joint venture between AngloFrench testing facility operator UTAC and German engineering consultancy FEV. They believe it will become an important year-round automotive testing hub, taking advantage of reliable dry weather and low operating costs while being located conveniently close to major manufacturers' technical centres in Europe.

"We can see a bright future for our Moroccan site, because it offers several advantages: [lower] costs and a high level of education and socioeconomic environment at a time when [manufacturers] are always looking at operating more efficiently," said UTAC chairman Laurent Benoit.

The site joins four existing European UTAC facilities, at Millbrook in the UK, Montlhéry and in France and Ivalo in Finland.

Carved out of a former phosphate mine outside the city of Oued Zem, some 100 miles south-east of Casablanca, the MMAC features 18.6 miles of test track and eight workshops and emissions labs.

Mortefontaine UTAC has an operating lease of 25 years on the site from the Moroccan government, which paid the construction costs for the tracks, buildings and infrastructure.