Toyota is copying the world’s most famous racing circuit by recreating the turns of the Nurburgring on their very own test track in the midst of creating a massive R&D facility. Being built in Japan, the series of test track is a part of a multi-billion dollar facility. The massive undertaking sounds cool and all, but the reason isn’t that exciting.

No, Toyota is not going to start cranking out supercars and high-end sports cars anytime soon. While, yes, we are the cusp of the second-coming of the Toyota Supra, it will likely start and end there with anything along the sports import line from the Japanese automaker.
The real reason behind the mini Nurburgring has to do with their initiative to build more EVs, specifically, they are looking to sell as many as 5.5 million electric vehicles by 2030. Their site will span over 1,600 acres and employ up to 3,850 people.

The copy-cat Nurburgring is one of 11 individual test tracks that are meant to simulate varied driving conditions. The 3.3-mile imposter to the 12.9 mile Nuburgring will offer the challenges of winding elevation changes and technical handling challenges. This will put braking, steering, and vehicle stability to the test during extreme driving conditions. The corners will mimic the famous German race track, and will include elevation changes up to 246-feet.

The huge facility will open piece by piece over development, and we’re holding out hope that this isn’t just to make more EVs, but to also roll out more performance cars.