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North Carolina Center for Automotive Research Is Expected to Have Broad Economic Impact

The North Carolina Center for Automotive Research will soon be a state-of-the-art facility for the car industry.

One of North Carolina’s boldest economic development initiatives will soon unfold in the Roanoke Valley as construction begins on the North Carolina Center for Automotive Research in Northampton County.

Situated on a 630-acre campus‚ just east of Interstate 95 near Garysburg‚ the NCCAR project is one that has captured the interest and imagination of automotive businesses nationally and internationally.

The reason NCCAR has created so much interest is apparent. The project features a 3.7-mile ride-and-handling course designed to be world-standard‚ vehicle-dynamics areas with high-speed entry‚ advanced chassis dynamics laboratory‚ client garages with virtual office connectivity‚ engine-testing cells with emissions and noise/vibration/harshness capabilities‚ and a refueling station to include hydrogen- and electric-charging facilities.

Vann Rogerson‚ president and CEO of the Northeastern North Carolina Regional Economic Development Commission‚ says NCCAR represents an exciting opportunity for North Carolina.

“We see a lot of opportunity because companies that we’ve visited have indicated both interest in and market demand for a Mid-Atlantic automotive research‚ development and testing facility‚” Rogerson says. “They’ve readily told us that this region and this state are ideally positioned and that the project is very well-planned‚ especially for smaller existing and start-up companies.

“The shared use of the facilities and equipment is especially important in assisting product development and testing on the part of those businesses that‚ typically‚ cannot afford to purchase and develop these facilities and equipment on their own‚” Rogerson adds. “We feel confident that NCCAR will be a convincing success and be of great value to businesses large and small.”

NCCAR’s location is ideal because of its proximity to Interstate 95‚ three international airports – Raleigh-Durham‚ N.C.‚ Richmond‚ Va.‚ and Norfolk‚ Va.‚ and easy access to metropolitan areas.

The nonprofit corporation chartered to develop the project has joined forces with some of the automotive industry’s most respected companies‚ including MDE International‚ VCA‚ Alastair McQueen Ltd. and Lotus Engineering.

Simon Cobb‚ director of North Carolina Operations for Lotus Engineering‚ says the project is being designed to meet world-class standards.

“The product research‚ testing and development demands of the automotive industry are ever-evolving‚” Cobb says. “NCCAR offers exceptional opportunities for matching the innovative talents of the world’s automotive industry with the research capacity and business development resources of the state of North Carolina in meeting that demand. That’s why Lotus Engineering has taken such a strong position in support of the project. We see great potential and great opportunity for success – and we are excited to work on a project designed from the onset to be world-class.”

Project sponsors fully expect the NCCAR project to be a catalyst for creating substantial higher-wage‚ sustainable employment opportunities and for spurring new business development.

Gary Brown‚ executive director of the Northampton County Economic Development Commission‚ says the facility will work with the North Carolina university and community college systems.

“Success in the automotive industry today is driven by enabling and advancing technologies‚ and enabling and advancing technology is driven by knowledge‚” Brown says. “Capitalizing on the research capacity of our universities as well as the workforce development and training capacity of our state’s community colleges is at the very core of this project.

“NCCAR is uniquely positioned to link educational resources to industry and‚ in doing so‚ fuel the development of new products and technologies‚ growth in business and industry‚ new job creation‚ and greater potential for success in the region and the state‚” he adds.

The North Carolina Center for Automotive Research Inc. (formerly the Advanced Vehicle Research Center of North Carolina Inc.) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. The purposes of NCCAR are educational‚ scientific and charitable‚ and include advancing the development of automotive technologies‚ fuel efficiency and alternative fuels‚ and propulsion systems.

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