The Volkswagen Group Test Center California has finished an expansion project that furthers the state-of-the-art development center’s capabilities and encompasses additional entities within the company under a new name—the Oxnard Engineering Campus. Supporting Volkswagen Group brands including Volkswagen, Audi, Bentley and Porsche, work at the Oxnard campus is focused on powertrain engineering services that support product development, governmental compliance and emissions testing with an enhanced focus on electric vehicle range testing and analysis.
“The next few years are going to be transformative for the Volkswagen Group as we are introducing our first long-range battery electric vehicles,” said Johan de Nysschen, Chief Operating Officer, Volkswagen Group of America. “The campus has been completely upgraded to further support the successful development, design and testing of products that will be sold in this market.”
Established in 1990 in Westlake Village, California, the TCC serves as the Group’s only emission test laboratory in the U.S. The largest technical center of its kind for the Volkswagen Group outside of Germany, the TCC plays a pivotal role in the product development chain, acting as a critical stop for many products before they are approved for production.
The renovated campus houses not only the testing team but also the Audi Engineering and Volkswagen Quality teams, both of which had previously worked alongside the testing team in Oxnard, and the Design Center California (DCC), relocated from its Santa Monica location. As part of the North American Region (NAR) structure, the DCC is a dedicated Volkswagen brand studio that develops Volkswagen concepts exclusively for the North American market and ensures effective collaboration within the region and with Volkswagen AG in Wolfsburg, Germany. The DCC originally opened in Simi Valley before moving to Santa Monica in 2006.
“This expansion strengthens Volkswagen’s testing abilities and product development support for not only the North American region but globally,” said Matthias Barke, Vice President, U.S. Testing, Volkswagen Group of America. “We are equally pleased to bring Design Center California under the same roof as our testing team.”
Now covering nine acres of space, the campus footprint has grown from 65,000 to 150,000 square feet. The original TCC building located next to the newly-developed space continues to hold the emissions test laboratory, engineering and prototype fleet operations, the governance team and operations-related employees.
The expansion includes an advanced shipping and receiving area with loading docks and large visitor workshops equipped with lifts, alignment racks and tire service capabilities. In addition, the facility features extensive office, training and meeting areas that can accommodate up to 200 people for hosting powertrain and emissions test groups.
SOURCE: Volkswagen of America
