Peter Lyon
October 4, 2025
With the new, state-of-the-art light testing center, Mercedes-Benz has just expanded the diverse testing capabilities of its Global Proving Ground Immendingen. At 443 ft (135 m) long and 26.2 ft (8 m) high, the new Light Testing Center ranks among the largest of its kind in the automotive industry. It enables detailed testing of headlight systems under constant, reproducible conditions – independent of time of day, weather or environmental influences.
A complete country road is authentically recreated spanning 443 ft (135 m). In addition, the asphalt mixture of the road surface was specially developed to replicate the reflective properties of an aged road as closely as possible. Up to five cars can be tested in parallel – including the simulation of oncoming traffic or vehicles ahead. Reflector posts can be deployed at the sides of the road in 65.6 ft (20 m) increments and pedestrian dummies can also be flexibly integrated. The investment in the light testing center amounts to 10.5 million euros, with two years of construction.
The Global Proving Ground Immendingen continues to set new standards across the industry with its high-tech testing facilities and advanced testing methods, including the automated Heide durability circuit. In this test, robots steer test vehicles completely autonomously along a rough-road track. The track’s potholes, bumps and cobblestones strenuously test the chassis and body of vehicles.
The automation of this process increases the precision of driving maneuvers, reduces strain on human test drivers, enables 24/7 operation and significantly accelerates testing – all while maintaining the same level of stress on the cars. Depending on the type of vehicle, test cars must complete up to 3,728 mi (6,000 km) on this circuit, which is equivalent to 186,411 mi (300,000 km) of real-world driving. This means that 0.6 mi (1 km) on the Heide durability circuit is equivalent to 93 mi (150 km) of real-world driving on an extremely rough road, littered with deep potholes, among other imperfections. The grueling test module is named after the challenging rough-road track in the Lüneburg Heath that dates back to the 1950s.
Since the facility was opened in 2015, approximately 30,000 test vehicles have covered more than 62 million miles (100 million km) – the equivalent of circling the Earth 2,500 times.
One of the greatest advantages of the Global Proving Ground Immendingen is nearly all test requirements for real-world testing – apart from snow, ice and extreme heat – are consolidated at a single location. Approximately 80 percent of test drives previously carried out on public roads have now been relocated to the site. International testing activities have also been significantly reduced without compromising testing quality – an important measure to shorten development times, accelerate vehicle maturity and reduce the carbon footprint of development.
CARLIST THOUGHTS
The Mercedes facility is unique for another reason. Sheep are largely responsible for maintaining the landscape on the test site. As grazing animals, they prevent shrubs and trees from growing on the rough pasture and displacing the species-rich meadow landscape. Several llamas also reside on the test site and protect the sheep herd from foxes.
