In today’s Disney Vacation News: Walt Disney World and General Motors said Friday they have renewed a longstanding sponsorship agreement, extending a deal that once seemed in doubt amid the giant automaker’s bankruptcy.
As part of the new pact, Disney and GM will redesign Test Track, a marquee attraction at Epcot. The attraction will close in April and reopen with a theme focused on the GM brand Chevrolet in the fall. The attraction also will get a “Chevrolet Design Center at Epcot” in which guests will get to design their own custom concept vehicles.
Financial terms weren’t disclosed. GM paid Disney $100 million for its previous 10-year sponsorship contract, according to a person familiar with the details. That contract lapsed into 2009, and the two parties had been extending it by short-term intervals in the interim.
“We are excited to renew our long-term alliance with General Motors,” George Aguel, senior vice president of corporate alliances for the Walt Disney Co., said in a prepared statement. “This unique agreement extends collaboration between two of the most recognized brands in the world, a relationship that spans over 30 years. The re-imagined Test Track Presented by Chevrolet will continue our shared goal of providing unique and innovative experiences that engage Disney guests in exciting and interactive ways.”
- This 1999 archive photo shows guests blurring by at 65 mph on Disney’s Test Track attraction at Epcot, in Lake Buena Vista. Test Track debuted in 1999 and showcases the design, manufacturing and testing of GM cars, with guests going on a high-speed ride in a “test” vehicle.
