GM Test Track at Epcot
Epcot's Test Track may be in jeopardy due to failing automaker GM. Currently, GM has a lucrative partnership under a 10 year contract with Disney paying $5 million a year to the entertainment giant.
GM's $3 billion woes could be detrimental to the Test Track in Epcot which draws 11 million guests a year. It's uncertain whether GM will be able to renew it's contracts in the days to come without loans from the federal government.
Because of it's lucrative nature, certain parties have a vested interest in the partnership continuing between GM and Disney World. In Part, Disney receives revenues in the order of millions of dollars from corporate sponsors like GM. Epcot's Spaceship Earth attraction generates a whopping $100 million over 12 years from German electronics giant Siemans AG.
Epcot is the 2nd busiest theme park at Disney World and recognized as the 3rd busiest in entertainment business. Within Epcot, GM's logo is exposed on every side of the park creating a major presence at Disney World. Guests are directed through queues that features photos of GM's proving ground including tracks in Arizona and Ontario.
Gm's Test Track is one of the fastest rides at Disney World reaching 60 mph at the outdoor sprint. Guests are exposed to the GM product under controlled conditions including hair-pin turns, car-safety tests, and 100-degree changes of temperature. GM marketing and sales hoped that this ride would increase brand awareness and corporate image in the U.S.
Even after $13.4 billion of taxpayer loans GM may go bankrupt ending the long standing benefits to Disney which included purchases Silverados, Saturn hybrids, and Chevy Trailblazers.
Like GM, other corporate sponsors have left EPCOT including Siemens, Hewlett Packard,
AT&T, and Exxon Mobil. Disney's revenue short fall would even widen if GM was to pull out of the deal during the economic crisis. Nevertheless, the Test Track ride would continue since it's a vital part of the survival of Epcot.
GM's $3 billion woes could be detrimental to the Test Track in Epcot which draws 11 million guests a year. It's uncertain whether GM will be able to renew it's contracts in the days to come without loans from the federal government.
Because of it's lucrative nature, certain parties have a vested interest in the partnership continuing between GM and Disney World. In Part, Disney receives revenues in the order of millions of dollars from corporate sponsors like GM. Epcot's Spaceship Earth attraction generates a whopping $100 million over 12 years from German electronics giant Siemans AG.
Epcot is the 2nd busiest theme park at Disney World and recognized as the 3rd busiest in entertainment business. Within Epcot, GM's logo is exposed on every side of the park creating a major presence at Disney World. Guests are directed through queues that features photos of GM's proving ground including tracks in Arizona and Ontario.
Gm's Test Track is one of the fastest rides at Disney World reaching 60 mph at the outdoor sprint. Guests are exposed to the GM product under controlled conditions including hair-pin turns, car-safety tests, and 100-degree changes of temperature. GM marketing and sales hoped that this ride would increase brand awareness and corporate image in the U.S.
Even after $13.4 billion of taxpayer loans GM may go bankrupt ending the long standing benefits to Disney which included purchases Silverados, Saturn hybrids, and Chevy Trailblazers.
Like GM, other corporate sponsors have left EPCOT including Siemens, Hewlett Packard,
AT&T, and Exxon Mobil. Disney's revenue short fall would even widen if GM was to pull out of the deal during the economic crisis. Nevertheless, the Test Track ride would continue since it's a vital part of the survival of Epcot.
posted by michael at
7:15 AM
