New Test Track at EPCOT to Be Presented by General Motors, Expanding Beyond Chevrolet Branding

Dec 04, 2024 in "Test Track"

Gallery / 5 Photos
New Test Track concept art

Posted: Wednesday December 4, 2024 11:26am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Disney has revealed that the reimagined Test Track at EPCOT will now be presented by General Motors (GM), signaling a shift from the lastiteration, Test Track 2.0, which has been exclusively sponsored by Chevrolet.

This new sponsorship represents a return to a broader collaboration with GM, harking back to the attraction's origins in EPCOT's World of Motion, which was also sponsored by GM.

New Test Track concept art

A Nod to EPCOT's Automotive Legacy

World of Motion, one of EPCOT's original attractions when the park opened in 1982, was a lighthearted and educational journey through the history of transportation, from early human-powered inventions to the modern automobile. General Motors sponsored the attraction, which set the stage for its successor, Test Track, debuting in 1999. Now, GM's sponsorship of the next generation of Test Track pays homage to that legacy while looking ahead to the future of mobility.

The updated Test Track will celebrate more than a century of innovation, focusing on how transportation connects us and shapes the way we live. Moving beyond Chevrolet branding, the attraction will now highlight the contributions of GM's entire portfolio, including advancements in technology, sustainability, and design across its brands.

Founded in 1908 and headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, General Motors has maintained a strong presence in the automotive industry through its lineup of brands:

Chevrolet: Known for versatile vehicles like the Silverado truck and Bolt EV.
GMC: Specializing in premium trucks and SUVs, including the Sierra Denali and Hummer EV.
Cadillac: GM's flagship luxury brand, featuring EVs like the Lyriq and Celestiq.
Buick: Focused on SUVs that combine practicality with innovation.
BrightDrop: GM's electric solutions brand, dedicated to commercial delivery vehicles.
Cruise: GM's autonomous vehicle division, advancing self-driving technology.

What to Expect from the Reimagined Test Track

Guests visiting the reimagined attraction will first encounter six exhibits in the queue, each highlighting innovations and the people driving them forward. Once aboard, the updated experience will explore GM's influence on customization, onboard technology, and sustainable solutions, culminating in a scenic outdoor route that recaptures the pure joy of driving.

The reimagined Test Track is set to open in late Summer 2025, promising a fresh experience that honors the past while driving into the future. Stay tuned for updates as construction progresses and Disney and GM prepare to unveil the next chapter in EPCOT's automotive pavilion.

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DisneyDodo10 hours ago

This is the same debate that always came up regarding DinoRama. One one hand, Disney recreated a setting that is very true to the thing it’s based on. On the other hand, that thing is kind of ugly and uninspiring, and so the replica is too. Painstaking accuracy is only valuable insofar as the location they are replicating is one that people are clamoring to go to. Hogsmeade at IOA really feels like you have been thrown into the middle of a Harry Potter film, which is so effective because that is a dream come true for many Potterheads. OTOH people who spend thousands of dollars to visit the world’s most preeminent theme park resort don’t want to be transported to a crappy carnival in a parking lot. Yes, DinoRama really felt like the thing it was supposed to be (even down to the overpriced rigged carnival games). That’s precisely why I hated it! Imagine asking someone how their Disney trip was, only for them to respond “It was incredible! I really felt like I was at a dingy, run-down amusement park!” This is similar to what they did with SWGE, except instead of location, it was the timeline they adhered to as gospel. As evidenced by the changes coming to Disneyland’s version, guests are happy to have a land that deviates from the chronology of the source material if it allows them to see the things they want to see. Disney could build an attraction called “DMV” where you walk through a building themed to a DMV. They could deploy a team of grumpy cast members (and not in the fun Whispering Canyon kind of way), artificially increase wait times so you always wait at least 2 hours, and make you fill out a bunch of forms. And some people would defend it as one of WDI’s great masterpieces because it really captures the ambiance of a DMV! To be clear, I never rode TT 1.0 and I’m not saying it was a bad overall attraction. I’m just suggesting that maybe instead of accurately recreating a warehouse, they could have leveraged some artistic license to conjure up a cooler, more engaging, “futuristic” version of a testing facility and riders would have enjoyed it even more!

Ayla13 hours ago

Yes. It was probably some of the best theming WDI has ever done.

Raineman1 day ago

I never rode 1.0, but wasn't the purpose of the theming to mimic an actual vehicle test facility? From what I've seen in POV videos, it seems like it did the job in that regard. You can argue whether that kind of theme fit in Future World, but you can't argue with the execution as related to the theme of the attraction. Actual vehicle testing facilities have that industrial/warehouse/garage/racetrack setup and vibe that TT 1.0 had.

Professortango11 day ago

When did E.P.C.O.T. Center become Epcot? Started in 1994 and by 1996 it was fully rebranded. Test Track would open in 1999. Soarin, Living with the Land, Journey to Imagination, Universe of Energy, Food Rocks....none of these felt/feel futuristic but all feel VERY Epcot. Epcot, as a theme park, has never been a prototype community of tomorrow. It has always been a world's showcase with half of the park focused on pavillions devoted to teaching us about the world culturally and the other half devoted to teaching us about the world scientifically. Test Track 1.0 was a ride which taught people about all the science and testing which goes into modern car design. The new one teaches us about smart roads and car sensor systems and then....oh, I guess that's all it really teaches and the rest of the ride is filler until the speed portion around an unthemed parking lot. But the set design for the fake garages is clean. Between this and the HM gift shop at Disneyland, Disney is entering their She-Shed era of design.

Biff2151 day ago

And let’s not forget, no preshow also. TT 1.0 queue and preshow really helped tell the story. Now there’s practically nothing. Very obvious that the funding fell short there and the postshow.

AidenRodriguez7311 day ago

Agreed on Post Show of 3, its definitely the worst out of the 3 from what I know.

trainplane31 day ago

Still think 1 was the best but 3 beats out 2 by a margin. Though the post show of 3 is genuinely bad.

AidenRodriguez7311 day ago

Perhaps that it was the Experiment Prototype Community of TOMORROW with a ride in FUTURE World. I can imagine where some confusion may come up

Biff2152 days ago

The original ride’s theme: a vehicle testing center. You felt it from the time you walked in the queue to the moment you stepped off the ride.

Figments Friend2 days ago

Me too. World of Motion was the best of all. Awesome, detailed, and entertaining ride through Attraction. Catching theme song. Amazing and beautiful ‘CenterCore’. The still legendary TransCenter. And of course…. Bird and Robot! -

disney fan 132 days ago

I haven't ridden nor viewed any footage of 3.0, but 1.0 was a lot better than 2.0. The functionality of the create a car function wasn't great, and if the line was short enough you'd just walk right past it. As others have mentioned, the problem with the retrofits is that the track layout is very specific to the “story” of 1.0 such that 2.0 felt more like an overlay then anything. At some point in one of these overlays they should just enclose the loop imo.

Tha Realest2 days ago

Maybe? College/grad school/marriage/having kids pushed WDW down the priority list. At least I got in the 90’s and all it’s glory (Epcot wasn’t a complete embarrassment, PI was new and so were a bunch of resort hotels)

ChrisFL2 days ago

Well for one thing it was located in "Future World"

AidenRodriguez7312 days ago

Uh if I’m not mistaken, 9/11 happened 2 years after the attraction opening (3 after soft opening) and the dot com bubble burst a year or so after? Right? It didn’t influence the attraction but certainly influenced how depressing this future is now