Multimatic's new SimCenter

The Novi facility will feature the most advanced VI-grade driving simulator in the U.S., enhancing development of everything from chassis dynamics to autonomous systems.

Multimatic, the Toronto-based supplier well known as the manufacturer of the Ford GT, will open a new virtual vehicle-dynamics development center in Novi, Michigan, in second quarter 2020. Partnering with simulation specialist VI-grade, the new “SimCenter” will be the first U.S. installation of VI-grade's largest 9-degrees-of-freedom automotive simulator. Available to industry clients, the simulator will provide a powerful virtual-development tool for everything from OEM suspension projects to start-up autonomous driving algorithms.

According to the Michigan Economic Development Corp., $7.8 million is being invested in the greenfield 25,000 ft² SimCenter, which will house the DiM250 simulator. This advanced driver-in-the-loop engineering tool is one of the few in use outside of an OEM. It permits validation of a host of automotive systems and subsystems long before physical prototypes are constructed.