With a total investment exceeding 3.6 billion yuan, the Southern Test Site officially inaugurated, GAC Group solidifies high-quality R&D foundation

On March 20th, the Southern (Shaoguan) Intelligent Connected New Energy Vehicle Testing and Inspection Center (hereinafter referred to as the “Southern Test Site”) officially began operation.

It is reported that, as the first large-scale comprehensive test site in China approved for airspace use rights, the Southern Test Site was jointly built by China Automotive Technology & Research Center, GAC Group, and four other parties. It covers approximately 8,600 acres with a total investment of over 3.6 billion yuan. Meanwhile, the National Intelligent Connected Vehicle Quality Inspection and Testing Center (Guangdong), established by the Southern Test Site, has been approved for construction. The platform has also been recognized as a pilot platform for the low-altitude economy in Guangdong Province (under planning) (Intelligent Connected Vehicles + Low-Altitude Aircraft), marking a key step forward for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in the integrated development of intelligent connected vehicles and the low-altitude economy.

As an important force in initiating the project and participating in planning and construction, GAC Group has always regarded the Southern Test Site as a vital support point for improving R&D verification systems and strengthening product quality. Currently, the automotive industry is accelerating toward electrification, intelligence, and connectivity. To meet new scenarios such as complex road conditions, extreme environments, intelligent connectivity, and low-altitude coordination, the R&D verification system must also be upgraded simultaneously. The activation of the Southern Test Site will further enhance GAC’s full-chain verification capabilities in vehicle, core systems, and cutting-edge technologies, providing solid support for product development, testing, certification, and technological reserves.

GAC’s GOVY AirCab flying car performs flight demonstration at the Southern Test Site

Relying on an integrated architecture of “low-altitude + test site + laboratory,” the Southern Test Site can meet testing needs across multiple fields, including intelligent connected new energy vehicles and low-altitude aircraft. The test site offers complex road conditions, extreme environments, intelligent connectivity, and low-altitude communication links, enabling systematic testing from components to complete vehicles, from functional verification to scenario validation. For GAC, this not only means that the R&D team can complete more cross-scenario and cross-system verification work on a more efficient platform but also signifies continuous improvement in the systematicity, completeness, and reliability of product development without reducing testing stages or lowering verification standards.

GAC’s Gaoyu Flight Car GOVY AirCab performs high-altitude curve test

Over the years, GAC Group has adhered to forward development, building a V-shaped product development process that covers both software and hardware based on user needs, forming a comprehensive testing and verification system for complete vehicles, systems, and components. Relying on 12 verification categories, over 1,500 verification sub-items, and more than 3,000 enterprise technical standards, as well as leading or participating in over 100 national and industry standards, GAC has continuously strengthened its systematic capabilities in product development and quality verification.

In terms of R&D capabilities, GAC has established the world’s first full-scale wind tunnel laboratory integrating aerodynamics, aeroacoustics, and thermodynamics, as well as a cluster of top domestic and internationally advanced laboratories covering vehicle, powertrain, new energy, intelligent connectivity, NVH, safety, and road simulation. This forms the most comprehensive vehicle and component testing verification system in China, capable of covering the entire lifecycle verification of intelligent connected new energy vehicles.

GAC wind tunnel laboratory

The official operation of the Southern Test Site will enable deep integration and mutual support with GAC’s existing facilities such as wind tunnels, safety, NVH, and road simulation, further improving the integrated R&D chain of “laboratory verification + test site verification + scenario-based verification.” This will promote more systematic, efficient, and rigorous full-lifecycle verification for intelligent connected new energy vehicles and low-altitude integrated scenarios, providing stronger support for technological innovation, product quality, and safety.

It is worth noting that on the same day as the official opening of the Southern Test Site, GAC Group’s incubation of the low-altitude mobility technology brand Gaoyu Technology completed its first scene flight demonstration of the GOVY AirCab flying car in Haixinsha, Guangzhou. As a flying car carrying GAC’s dual DNA of “automobile + aviation,” GOVY AirCab has passed a series of rigorous tests including bird strike, emergency landing, and extreme temperature environments, and is expected to complete type certification and start mass production and delivery by the end of 2026. This first flight not only marks a key leap for Gaoyu Technology from “production line R&D” to “real-world operation” but also creates a “test verification + scenario application” industry closed loop with the Southern Test Site—where the former builds full-chain verification capabilities based on China’s first approved airspace test site, and the latter transforms laboratory technology into real-world urban air operations. Together, they promote the low-altitude economy from “planning” to “practical implementation,” injecting inclusive momentum into the trillion-yuan low-altitude sector.

GOVY AirCab’s first flight at Haixinsha, Guangzhou

Looking ahead, GAC Group will leverage the Southern Test Site to deepen collaborative innovation with industry chains, upstream and downstream partners, universities, and research institutions, accelerating the transformation of technological achievements from verification to application. The company will continue to focus on cutting-edge fields such as intelligent connected new energy vehicles and low-altitude mobility. Based on a more solid R&D foundation, a more rigorous verification system, and a more open collaborative platform, GAC aims to create safer, more reliable, and higher-quality mobility experiences for users, while continuously injecting new momentum into the high-quality development of China’s automotive industry.