Japanese commercial vehicle maker Isuzu said on Friday it has begun building a dedicated test track for fully automated buses and trucks in Hokkaido, with operations expected to start in September 2027. The site will serve as Isuzu’s central hub for developing Level 4 autonomous driving technologies.
The facility, located at the company’s Isuzu Hokkaido Proving Ground in Mukawa, will be Japan’s first test course of its kind. Isuzu said it is investing around 7.4 billion yen ($49 million) to create a 190,000-square-metre site with simulated city streets, motorway access points and rural roads, equipped with traffic infrastructure to reproduce complex driving scenarios. Partial use of the track is expected by mid-2026.
The project will not only serve Isuzu’s in-house engineers but will also be open to external partners, including start-ups, suppliers, universities and government agencies. The company said the site will be tailored to large-capacity vehicles such as articulated buses and trucks with trailers. By 2028, Isuzu also plans to add research and maintenance facilities, connected via high-speed networks to domestic and overseas sites for real-time data sharing.
“Autonomous driving solutions will be a future pillar of Isuzu’s business,” said Ken Ueda, Senior Executive Officer and EVP of Isuzu’s Engineering Division. “The Isuzu Group will contribute to the advancement of autonomous driving technology through the operation of this test course, pioneering a future of safe and secure mobility to help realize a society free of accidents.”
Senior Executive Officer Hiroshi Sato added: “This test course is essential infrastructure for the Isuzu Group as we strive to lead the world in autonomous driving for commercial vehicles. We hope that in a few years, it will become a hub for open innovation, a center for autonomous driving where various companies and organizations collaborate on research and development.”
Isuzu highlighted autonomous driving as a core pillar of its medium-term business strategy “ISUZU Transformation – Growth by 2030.” The company aims to bring Level 4 autonomous trucks and buses to market in the 2027 financial year, working alongside industry partners, start-ups and government bodies.
