Isuzu to build test track for automated commercial vehicles
Isuzu announced that it will establish a test track at its subsidiary Isuzu Hokkaido Proving Ground in Mukawa. The site is located on Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost main island. On the occasion of the laying of the foundation stone, the company is now outlining its project in detail: Isuzu is to set up Japan’s first test site of this kind at an estimated cost of 7.4 billion yen (around 43.1 million euros). The aim of the initiative is to drive forward the introduction of Level 4 autonomous lorries and buses. In addition to Isuzu’s own developers and engineers, the test track will also be made accessible to companies and organisations outside the Isuzu Group, such as start-ups, suppliers, universities and authorities.
According to Isuzu, the project will be built on an area of around 190,000 square metres on the subsidiary’s extensive premises. The test areas are divided into simulated city streets, motorway entrances and exits and country roads. “The areas will also be equipped with various traffic infrastructure. This will make it possible to safely reproduce complex driving scenarios that are difficult to conduct on public roads, enabling the verification & validation of autonomous driving technologies,” the Japanese company explained. The test site will be explicitly designed for large-capacity vehicles, including long, heavy vehicles such as articulated buses and trucks with trailers. Partial use of the route should be possible from summer 2026, with full operation planned for September 2027.
Isuzu plans to turn the Hokkaido site into its headquarters for the development of autonomous driving technologies in the medium term. In addition to the test track, a new test and research facility with maintenance areas for autonomous vehicles and work areas for cooperation partners will be built by 2028. Furthermore: “In addition to conducting comprehensive testing of sensors, AI models, and control technologies for autonomous vehicles, the course will also be connected to both domestic and overseas facilities via high-speed IT networks, allowing real-time sharing and utilization of test data,” the manufacturer specified.
Ken Ueda, Senior Executive Officer and EVP of Isuzu’s Engineering Division, comments: “Autonomous driving solutions will be a future pillar of Isuzu’s business. The Isuzu Group will contribute to the advancement of autonomous driving technology through the operation of this test course, pioneering a future of safe and secure mobility to help realize a society free of accidents.”
Hiroshi Sato, Senior Executive Officer and VP of the Engineering Division, adds: “This test course is essential infrastructure for the Isuzu Group as we strive to lead the world in autonomous driving for commercial vehicles. We hope that in a few years, it will become a hub for open innovation, a center for autonomous driving where various companies and organizations collaborate on research and development.”
Isuzu emphasises the importance of autonomous driving in its medium-term business plan ‘ISUZU Transformation – Growth by 2030’. Specifically, the Group is aiming for the market launch of Level 4 autonomous trucks and buses in the 2027 financial year. To this end, Isuzu has been developing technologies for autonomous driving for some time, in collaboration with national and local authorities, other commercial vehicle manufacturers and technology start-ups, among others.
This article was first published by Cora Werwitzke for electrive’s German edition.
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