The Answer is Blowin' in the Wind

A new $37.5 million aero-acoustic wind tunnel in Auburn Hills, MI, will help the Chrysler Group improve speed to market for new vehicles.

It will work to eliminate wind and noise, which Chrysler President Dieter Zetsche says are the top two customer complaints. The cement structure with sound-capturing twists and turns also will help to more quickly identify problem areas on future vehicles.

Zetsche says it will aid in the development of new technologies and materials to reduce noise, perhaps eliminating the need for thicker glass in the future.

It also will enhance stability and handling of future vehicles and improve overall fuel economy, say Chrysler Group officials.

It already has been used in development of Chrysler's new LX large sedans due in 2004, eliminating constant trips Chrysler engineers were making to Georgia to use Lockheed Martin's facility.

Located in the DaimlerChrysler Technology Center, its proximity to design and engineering labs should reduce the time and cost of bringing a new vehicle to market, says Donald Goodwin, vice president and head of scientific laboratories.

“We can provide test results on new clay models to the design center on an overnight basis,” he says.

The tunnel can handle any size car or truck and generates wind with a top speed of 150 mph (240 km/h). As the most quiet tunnel in the industry, it permits precise measurement of wind noise characteristics.

“Our cars should improve for a number of years before we need a new tunnel,” says Supervisor Mark Gleason.

Construction of the wind tunnel was approved before the merger that created DaimlerChrysler AG. The new tunnel took three years to construct. It already is fully booked though the end of 2002.