Signs of GM’s restructuring at Epcot’s Test Track

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

http://thedailydisney.com/blog/2010/01/signs-of-gms-restructuring-at-epcots-test-track/

 

[MFfan310]

Did they take off the Saturn and Pontiac badges from some of the Test Track cars, too, reducing them to Chevy, Pontiac, Buick, and GMC?

Test Track is still a great ride. Rode it last March four times-and met one of my college profs in line, too. Turns out at WDW, it really is a small world after all!

 

[ChrisFL]

There's a refurb from Jan 11th to 17th...it will be interesting to see how different things are (or aren't) after that

 

[Hazelrah]

What?! The wooden Hummer go-cart is gone??? That was the most interesting car in the show-room!

 

[Uncleromulus]

Well--as "part owner" of Goverment Motors, not sure how I feel about them spending whatever $$$ it costs to continue to sponsor Test Track.
I'm not convinced that "goodwill" nor the small # of car sales that result from Test Track are worth the $$$ from a bankrupt Company struggling still to get back on it's feet.
Unless Disney cut them a sweet deal while still allowing the GM name on the attraction----?
The lack of interest from all the other car makers suggests that the game isn't worth the candle.

 

[ChrisFL]

Well--as "part owner" of Goverment Motors, not sure how I feel about them spending whatever $$$ it costs to continue to sponsor Test Track.
I'm not convinced that "goodwill" nor the small # of car sales that result from Test Track are worth the $$$ from a bankrupt Company struggling still to get back on it's feet.
Unless Disney cut them a sweet deal while still allowing the GM name on the attraction----?
The lack of interest from all the other car makers suggests that the game isn't worth the candle.

Assuming that no other carmakers have stepped up to sponsor the attraction, I wouldn't doubt that Disney made a deal with GM to have another 1 year contract or something...because if they didn't, Disney would have to pay out of pocket to de-brand the ride yet still keep people riding it.

Of all of the sponsored attractions in WDW, that would be the most difficult to do that. GM's attractions have always been the most "involved" sponsorship wise. It would feel very odd to just take out all GM references and try to keep a "whole" attraction.

 

[tzvdmd]

Well--as "part owner" of Goverment Motors, not sure how I feel about them spending whatever $$$ it costs to continue to sponsor Test Track.

As a shareholder you can bring this up at the next meeting. I am interested in how many shares you own. Or are you just complaining about how your tax dollars are spent? If that is the case, let me start my list.

 

[Uncleromulus]

Complaining about my Tax dollars.
And how Government Motors may be spending them...

 

[tzvdmd]

So all of your tax money goes to GM?

 

[Uncleromulus]

Thay really shouldn't get ANY of it!! But since they do, I don't want them wasting it sposoring Test Track..which is what this thread is about.

 

[tzvdmd]

I guess that's your take.

 

[chartle]

Well--as "part owner" of Goverment Motors, not sure how I feel about them spending whatever $$$ it costs to continue to sponsor Test Track.
I'm not convinced that "goodwill" nor the small # of car sales that result from Test Track are worth the $$$ from a bankrupt Company struggling still to get back on it's feet.
Unless Disney cut them a sweet deal while still allowing the GM name on the attraction----?
The lack of interest from all the other car makers suggests that the game isn't worth the candle.

GM's sponsorship of TT is purely marketing i.e. advertising. Its a big commercial for GM. When the bailout happened everyone started the who's going to replace GM at WDW rumors, like for some reason GM isn't allowed to advertise any more or its too extravagant. No one knows the secret formula for perfect advertising, if they did they would make millions. I think advertising is more of a see what sticks to the wall kind of thing.

As for if its waste, thats up to GM's marketing people to decide.

Also, how do you know other car makers aren't interested? No car maker is going to approach WDW while GM is still there.

WDW will try to keep TT with GM just because it would cause a lot of hassle changing over to another car maker. Think of all the cars they would have to swap out in the queue.

 

[seashoreCM]

Also, how do you know other car makers aren't interested? No car maker is going to approach WDW while GM is still there.

Should GM not wish to renew its sponsorship, Test Track becomes fair game for any other car maker.

It's not GM's presence that might intimidate other car makers but rather Disney's requirements. The new company could be required to do all of the redecorating.

As far as cars on display in the queue area go, those owned by Disney can stay there until a new sponsoring company replaces them, and just as in the movies the GM name plates could remain or be removed as Disney or the new company desires.

 

[J3nn78]

Not only is there the expense of redoing the line and logos, any new car manufacturer would have to deal with the stigma of replacing GM that has been on that ride since the very beginning. The way I would look at it is that it's not as simple as "swap out" the show cars with civics and all the guests just forget that it was a GM ride originally. I would think that any new sponsor would look at this as a major project to not only re-decorate, but also come up with a new story line and overall theme for the ride. Just pulling off the GM logo and sticking a Honda logo in it's place makes Honda look cheap. Any new sponsor is going to want to top what GM did and that's going to cost alot of cash.

All through the ride is GM influence. In the cold room, there are camaro body parts. Most of the tools and toolboxes had GM logos through out the ride. The pre-ride movie needs to be redone. Likely the actual ride vehicles would need to be restyled to not look like plastic 90's saturns.

I don't know, the whole ride just screams GM to me and I don't think that can easily be reversed.

 

[Uncleromulus]

chartle:
According to the original article, neither Toyota nor Honda said they were interested. Ford didn't even bother to return the phone call.

 

[ChrisFL]

Not only is there the expense of redoing the line and logos, any new car manufacturer would have to deal with the stigma of replacing GM that has been on that ride since the very beginning. The way I would look at it is that it's not as simple as "swap out" the show cars with civics and all the guests just forget that it was a GM ride originally. I would think that any new sponsor would look at this as a major project to not only re-decorate, but also come up with a new story line and overall theme for the ride. Just pulling off the GM logo and sticking a Honda logo in it's place makes Honda look cheap. Any new sponsor is going to want to top what GM did and that's going to cost alot of cash.

All through the ride is GM influence. In the cold room, there are camaro body parts. Most of the tools and toolboxes had GM logos through out the ride. The pre-ride movie needs to be redone. Likely the actual ride vehicles would need to be restyled to not look like plastic 90's saturns.

I don't know, the whole ride just screams GM to me and I don't think that can easily be reversed.

I agree with this, like I alluded to earlier, of all of Disney's sponsored attractions, this is very much a GM attraction, with it's mark all over it.

 

[lugnut33]

Maybe they should retheme it to a Cars ride, ala the new Cars ride in DCA?

 

[chartle]

Maybe they should retheme it to a Cars ride, ala the new Cars ride in DCA?

What does the movie Cars have to do with TT?

Cars has nothing to do testing cars they would have to do more than retheme it, they would have to tear it down and build another new ride.

 

[TisBit]

What does the movie Cars have to do with TT?

Cars has nothing to do testing cars they would have to do more than retheme it, they would have to tear it down and build another new ride.

Hmmm....what does Cars have to do with an automobile company

Lets see, the high speed portion would be easy, that would be the race from the end of the movie, the other test areas, well, that would just be scenes from radiator springs, the broken roads, the tractor tipping. While it would be an extensive retheming, similar to a new company coming in, it wouldn't be a tear down, by far.

 

[ConcKahuna]

GM's sponsorship of TT is purely marketing i.e. advertising. Its a big commercial for GM. When the bailout happened everyone started the who's going to replace GM at WDW rumors, like for some reason GM isn't allowed to advertise any more or its too extravagant. No one knows the secret formula for perfect advertising, if they did they would make millions. I think advertising is more of a see what sticks to the wall kind of thing.

As for if its waste, thats up to GM's marketing people to decide.

Also, how do you know other car makers aren't interested? No car maker is going to approach WDW while GM is still there.

WDW will try to keep TT with GM just because it would cause a lot of hassle changing over to another car maker. Think of all the cars they would have to swap out in the queue.

There's more to the GM contract than just TT. GM also has an exclusive contract for all of WDW's service vehicles, and also offer a lease deal for execs (meaning almost all execs drive GM vehicles).