By Marc Navarro Gonzalez 
 

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW.XE) on Friday said that it will make a three-digit-million-euro investment to build a test track for self-driving cars in the Czech Republic.

Germany's BMW said the 500-hectare proving ground will create several hundred jobs and is slated to go into operation early in the next decade.

This will be BMW's first development location in Eastern Europe, the company said. The test track will be located in Sokolov, in the Karlovy Vary region, BMW added.

The luxury car maker said that since its existing facilities in Aschheim, Germany; Miramas in France and Arjeplog in Sweden no longer have sufficient capacity to meet testing requirements, it had spent the past few months exploring possible strategic locations in Germany and neighboring countries.

"At the planned proving facility in Sokolov, we will continue to advance ground-breaking topics, such as electrification, digitalization and automated driving," Herbert Grebenc, BMW's head of real estate, said.

Write to Marc Navarro Gonzalez at marc.navarrogonzalez@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

December 15, 2017 05:45 ET (10:45 GMT)

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