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MILFORD, Mich. (AP) - General Motors, like other automakers, showed off its newest, shiniest offerings at this month's Detroit auto show.

GM's biggest splash at the show was the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette, which the carmaker says will go on sale later this year.

Before it does, though, the new Vette needs to go where nearly all of the company's vehicles go before they head to dealer showrooms: to Milford.

It's in this northwest Detroit suburb that GM has its Proving Grounds facility, which, according to GM consumer affairs chief James Bell, exists for the purpose of beating "the heck out of a vehicle before the customer can."

Founded in 1924, the 4,000-acre Milford Proving Grounds was the first dedicated automotive testing facility in the world and remains one of the largest to this day.

(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)