GM's in deep doo, asking the federal government for billions in bail-out money, while staying just steps away from bankruptcy. With millions of Americans now without bubble-money home equity loans to pay for cars, GM's market has dried up. Throw in a recession depression, and GM's barely gonna have enough cash for one of those little tree-shaped air fresheners, much less a multi-million-dollar theme park sponsorship.
Even if GM gets enough cash from the feds, it'll have a hard time justifying a theme park deal. After all, the money would be to bail out GM, not Disney. Other companies that took federal cash have been excoriated for spending that money, even in part, on sponsorships. Northern Trust just got excoriated in the press and on Capitol Hill for sponsoring a PGA tournament in LA last month. Chrysler opted to bury all references to itself during the tournament in Palm Springs it sponsored a few weeks before that.
But without GM, what does Test Track look like? The entire theme is bound to GM, not to mention the pre- and post-shows. Perhaps if another car maker stepped forward... but there aren't exactly many (okay, any) with extra cash to spend these days.
Tweet
That's all I care about. I like Test Track. I think it is a fun attraction, and a singular experience - something hard to find at most parks. I would hate to see it close down.
Who sponsors the ride is somewhat irrelevant to me, but keeping the attraction up and running is vital.
Besides, I sorta like the sound (and alliteration) of "Toyota Test Track."
But its one of the premier attractions at the park and they have a long relationship with GM so I'm sure they will they will work something out to keep it open!
Disney World is freaking out about capital expenditures right now, not approving *anything*. Take several million out of its budget from sponsorship losses, and the situation becomes more grim.
Unsponsored attractions without a Disney franchise theme go to the bottom of the priority list for rehabs, promotion and staffing. Without GM, and without another automotive sponsor, Test Track may hang on for a few years. But its days are numbered.
Here are some attractions from the top of my head that lost sponsorship:
Space Mountain
Its a Small World
Carosel of Progress
I guess I am on the positives here!
Of course, it's been at least two years since I rode it, so perhaps I'm behind the times on that one.
I think Disney will weather this one, but it's going to go leaner than most of us would like.
The KIA Test Track is on it's way! LOL
They could probably keep it going if they wanted to without a sponsor, but that costs alot of money, something that Disney isn't in the mood to spend these days. IMHO, the ride is tired anyway, and I wasn't impressed that much with it. I'm thinking it's time to go to the drawing board and get some fresh ideas. If they lose the sponsorship, I say keep it afloat for a while, but if they can't find another company, it's time for an overhaul.
Though I do like the sound of, and would have much more respect for, a Toyota Test Track, James.
ToT........Tower of Terror
TTC........Transportation and Ticket Center
TTA........Tomarrowland Transit Authority
TTT........Toyota Test Track
Any else?
Do we have a source that indicates exactly how much the GM sponsorship is worth?
I don't agree. That attraction has it's place. For we jaded thrill ride people, it's a waste of space, but for the family of 5 with the 4 year old who wants to be a big boy and drive like daddy does... They'll get a lot more fun out of that than another Mountain.
And, let's face it, the go-carts on International Drive are more fun to drive than the vehicles at the Magic Kingdom.
And while Finding Nemo has established a Pixar presence in EPCOT I still think 'Cars' would be a great idea for re-theming Test Track.
This article has been archived and is no longer accepting comments.
If not, maybe Cars from Pixar is an option? I'd actually rather them use that theme on the speedway at MK though.