Ford plans $200M wind tunnel complex in Allen Park

Posted on February 15, 2017

ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) – Ford Motor Co. plans to build a $200 million aerodynamic testing facility in suburban Detroit.

The Dearborn-based automaker announced Wednesday that the wind tunnel complex will be on 13 acres next to Ford’s current Driveability Test Facility in Allen Park. The complex will offer real-world driving simulations to help boost improvements in fuel economy.

Construction is scheduled to start this year.

The company says the wind tunnel complex will better position its engineers to conduct testing to back up advancements in vehicle design. The tunnel will be able to simulate wind speeds of 155 mph to 200 mph. A climate chamber also will be part of the complex.