Hyundai Mobis Co., an auto parts affiliate of Hyundai Motor Group, said Tuesday it will open its first domestic proving ground starting in June to test auto parts and related technologies.

The country's biggest auto parts maker by sales invested about 300 billion won ($268 million) in the past 2 1/2 years to build the facility, a company spokesman said. 

"We have built the proving ground in Seosan to test the functions of our auto parts and such cutting-edge technologies like autonomous driving in vehicles," he said.

Hyundai Mobis in the past had to rent sites to check its auto components. 

The proving ground includes a 4.2-kilometer-long high-speed test track and facilities built to test endurance and other performance metrics under various terrain and weather conditions, the company said.

During past winter seasons, Hyundai Mobis said it tested its components and technologies in New Zealand, Sweden and China. For example, it carried out braking tests on frozen rivers in Sweden and China, while conducting similar tests in New Zealand.

Hyundai Mobis earns 90 percent of its overall sales by providing auto parts and after-sales services to Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors, which together form the world's fifth-biggest carmaker by sales.

It posted sales of 9.27 trillion won in the January-March quarter, down 0.8 percent from 9.34 trillion won on-year, according to a regulatory filing. (Yonhap)