Hyundai officially launches its brand-new high-performance testing facility at the Nurburgring in Germany. It is the first Korean-owned facility at this venue, which used to be home only to the most distinguished luxury and sports car makers.

With a 6.6 Million Euro investment, the construction of the striking 3,622m² Hyundai Nurburgring Test Center began in June 2012 and was completed in less than 15 months. The unique glass and steel building houses workshops, office spaces and hospitality areas over four floors.

Now, one might ask why would Hyundai need a test center at the Nurubrgring? Well it is not just about speed and performance. The ‘Ring also provides a fantastic environment to test the durability of new cars. Hyundai’s accelerated durability tests are conducted from the European Test Centre. Each car taking part in the tests laps the Nurburgring 480 times in both dry and wet conditions, simulating over 100,000 miles of rigorous driving in less than six weeks.

What’s more, we know that Hyundai is seriously pondering the possibility of taking its high-performance Genesis model to the next level. Having its own test center at the Nurburgring would definitely be a huge plus.

For those who don’t know, the fearsome Nurburgring track is 12.8 miles (20.6 km) long, and consists of 73 corners – 33 left and 40 rights. It is widely known as the Green Hell, for its impeccable ability to reduce even the toughest car to its bits.