Test Track refurb???

[Monorail_Orange]

I was going to say FLE 2.0 is not the response to potter it was altered because of capacity issues. The meet and greet would have been horrible for capacity issues. The mine train will be a good people eater compared to what was planned. From what I've heard this is the ONLY reason the plans changed.

I guess I should clear up, I stated my opinion on the FLE, and what I believe it to be. I understand TDO is saying differently, and Lee and others have recited that information. I am just saying what I think. Perhaps I am wrong, but I've been involved in and around the company enough to see through what the company says and see what, again in my opinion, is really going on. Therefore, call me hard-headed or what have you, I stand by what I said.

 

[janoimagine]

I can confirm that there is a team from WDI currently visiting the Design Center of General Motors in Warren, MI. They were there yesterday and they are there today, I have the list of attendees and there positions, but the biggest name on the list appears to be Trevor Bryant from WDI.

 

[hpyhnt 1000]

I can confirm that there is a team from WDI currently visiting the Design Center of General Motors in Warren, MI. They were there yesterday and they are there today, I have the list of attendees and there positions, but the biggest name on the list appears to be Trevor Bryant from WDI.

The plot thickens and thickens. Against my better judgement, I'm actually beginning to get excited about this refurb.

 

[janoimagine]

The plot thickens and thickens. Against my better judgement, I'm actually beginning to get excited about this refurb.

I know, right?!? ... the area they are focusing on is where they have all the concept cars, and create the concepts and designs for future products ... basically mission control for all vehicle design, also extremely high security ... the total list of attendees is 9 from WDI.

 

[janoimagine]

I've been getting bits and pieces of information regarding this project from inside friends and here is what I know (some of which has already been elluded to by formum members):

Complete overhaul of the pre and post show areas, new videos, kiosks, ect.
Complete overhaul of the ride itself, the track layout will remain the same, however the vignettes, or show sequences will be reworked or replaced entirely. It was hinted that a tron like look with futuristic lights and design could be one of these new vignettes. Expect Chevy to have a much stronger presence or be the only presence on the ride. The ride theme will change from vehicle testing to something along the lines of 'from concept to reality' (from what I was told this is still somewhat influx).

According to my source GM will be producing or providing the shells for the cars as well as some of the electronics like video screens and tech inside the ride vehicles and inside the ride itself as opposed to WDI which is apparently a little break from the norm (not sure, perhaps Lee or Martin has a little more knowledge on how that works in terms of sponsors providing these types of working show elements) it does make sense to me considering the ride vehicle is a car and they are car manufacturers.

I know they have a budget signed and approved by GM and from what I have been told it is a substantial one for this refurb, I was also told that GM is set to ink a 10 year deal to continue to sponsor the pavilion through 2022.

I do not know when they will be starting this refurb, or how long it would take, but based on what I have been told so far I would think it would at the very least be 6 months or more.

While I cannot confirm 100% that all these things will happen, I do trust this person and they are in a position within the company that would provide them access to this knowledge. Perhaps some of our more senior members can validate a few of these claims.

 

[MichWolv]

I've been getting bits and pieces of information regarding this project from inside friends and here is what I know (some of which has already been elluded to by formum members):

Complete overhaul of the pre and post show areas, new videos, kiosks, ect.
Complete overhaul of the ride itself, the track layout will remain the same, however the vignettes, or show sequences will be reworked or replaced entirely. It was hinted that a tron like look with futuristic lights and design could be one of these new vignettes. Expect Chevy to have a much stronger presence or be the only presence on the ride. The ride theme will change from vehicle testing to something along the lines of 'from concept to reality' (from what I was told this is still somewhat influx).

According to my source GM will be producing or providing the shells for the cars as well as some of the electronics like video screens and tech inside the ride vehicles and inside the ride itself as opposed to WDI which is apparently a little break from the norm (not sure, perhaps Lee or Martin has a little more knowledge on how that works in terms of sponsors providing these types of working show elements) it does make sense to me considering the ride vehicle is a car and they are car manufacturers.

I know they have a budget signed and approved by GM and from what I have been told it is a substantial one for this refurb, I was also told that GM is set to ink a 10 year deal to continue to sponsor the pavilion through 2022.

I do not know when they will be starting this refurb, or how long it would take, but based on what I have been told so far I would think it would at the very least be 6 months or more.

While I cannot confirm 100% that all these things will happen, I do trust this person and they are in a position within the company that would provide them access to this knowledge. Perhaps some of our more senior members can validate a few of these claims.

Wow. That would be a far more substantial change to the ride itself than I had thought was possible. I shall keep my fingers crossed.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Should we expect a name change as well?

 

[janoimagine]

I don't know for sure and haven't heard anything about that, but it would make sense to, given the change in theme.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Steve, I think the trip timeline is off by a day. I don't arrive until tomorrow. I'm pretty sure I've experienced a similar problem before.

 

[djkidkaz]

Very surprising that they would completely re-do the whole attraction, but I guess its probably due to GM wanting to change their image in the public with the whole government bailout fiasco and everything. They probably want people to walk away from the attraction thinking about how great GM products are. Right now, the attraction could be used for any car manufacturer so you don't really leave with a sense or opinion about GM.

 

[misterID]

I really hope there's some sort of nod to WOM about the history and future of cars. But it sounds pretty cool.

 

[hpyhnt 1000]

Sounds fairly plausible from other reports that we've been getting, though I have to say, if what you said is true, this refurb is much more substantial than I think anyone had imagined. Its basically an overhaul into a brand new attraction.

Interesting about the new vehicle shells, as it would indicate that the new blue shells we've seen in the past weeks are probably more of a conceptual test rather than the final product. And the idea of showcasing a car going from concept to final form is intriguing, though I'm not sure how that could work.

 

[NoChesterHester]

Can we close one of the two Test Track threads? Consolidate?

 

[janoimagine]

Sounds fairly plausible from other reports that we've been getting, though I have to say, if what you said is true, this refurb is much more substantial than I think anyone had imagined. Its basically an overhaul into a brand new attraction.

Interesting about the new vehicle shells, as it would indicate that the new blue shells we've seen in the past weeks are probably more of a conceptual test rather than the final product. And the idea of showcasing a car going from concept to final form is intriguing, though I'm not sure how that could work.

I hope all these things things do make it into the final form ... and I agree ... I am trying to get my head around how they can use the current ride system to coincide with the new 'theme' ... I am also trying to figure out why they are proposing to shift this to a heavier 'Chevy' theme and forgo GMC, Cadillac and Buick ... I can understand to an extent as Chevy is definately the most popular, and the most succesfull brand under the GM banner, but I can imagine the marketing leads on the other nameplates can't be too thrilled as you can imagine that some of their profits have to be funding the refurb and day to day operations for the attraction. Time will tell all, right?

 

[cbconglom]

http://www..com/2011/09/15/epcots-test-track-2012-overhaul-retheme/

Latest from the rumor mill: General Motors is ready to ink a deal to sponsor their Epcot pavilion for a further 10 years until 2022. As part of the deal the Test Track attraction would essentially be gutted, leaving only the ride path and vehicles chassis in place.Other areas of the pavilion would also be completely redone as they were during the transition from World of Motion to Test Track.

The new ride-thru attraction that Disney is in talks with GM to fund would involve new vehicle bodies for the Test Track vehicles designed not by Imagineering but rather GM’s own design, research, and development unit. Upgraded interiors and new electronics and show elements (screens, etc..) would be the fruit of this collaboration. For the ride scenes the pavilion would become a sort of hybrid version of the original World of Motion and the current Test Track attraction, detailing vehicle design, production, fabrication, and testing with a nod toward its history and the future. Apparently currently iterations of the design have a distinctly forward-looking emphasis with grand splashes of futurism to boot.

Final details are being worked out between the companies before any formal announcement is going to be made. This information is subject to change. Two timelines for a possible closure of the attraction have been discussed, starting in either January or April. As always, the full history of the Transportation pavilion at Epcot, including its conceptual origins as a two-ride attraction with both a high-speed test track and a history ride-thru, can be found in the Epcot Explorer’s Enyclopedia.

 

[ToTBellHop]

http://www..com/2011/09/15/epcots-test-track-2012-overhaul-retheme/

Latest from the rumor mill: General Motors is ready to ink a deal to sponsor their Epcot pavilion for a further 10 years until 2022. As part of the deal the Test Track attraction would essentially be gutted, leaving only the ride path and vehicles chassis in place.Other areas of the pavilion would also be completely redone as they were during the transition from World of Motion to Test Track.

The new ride-thru attraction that Disney is in talks with GM to fund would involve new vehicle bodies for the Test Track vehicles designed not by Imagineering but rather GM’s own design, research, and development unit. Upgraded interiors and new electronics and show elements (screens, etc..) would be the fruit of this collaboration. For the ride scenes the pavilion would become a sort of hybrid version of the original World of Motion and the current Test Track attraction, detailing vehicle design, production, fabrication, and testing with a nod toward its history and the future. Apparently currently iterations of the design have a distinctly forward-looking emphasis with grand splashes of futurism to boot.

Final details are being worked out between the companies before any formal announcement is going to be made. This information is subject to change. Two timelines for a possible closure of the attraction have been discussed, starting in either January or April. As always, the full history of the Transportation pavilion at Epcot, including its conceptual origins as a two-ride attraction with both a high-speed test track and a history ride-thru, can be found in the Epcot Explorer’s Enyclopedia.

My concern is: if GM designs the cars, who will make replacement parts and fix the cars when they break? Will we have safety recalls to look forward to?

 

[Scuttle]

It sounds like it has plenty of potential. I would love if the indoor section was a slow narrated dark ride about the history of GM/cars that's reminiscent to WoM. That would be great. Obviously the outdoor burst will be the same. I like TT a lot, but I'm not disappointed about this. It sounds like if done well it could be incredible.

 

[HMF]

My concern is: if GM designs the cars, who will make replacement parts and fix the cars when they break? Will we have safety recalls to look forward to?

Keep in mind also American Car Companies tend to make inferior models than their Japanese counterparts. GM in particular has a rather sketchy history.

 

[montyz81]

http://www..com/2011/09/15/epcots-test-track-2012-overhaul-retheme/

Latest from the rumor mill: General Motors is ready to ink a deal to sponsor their Epcot pavilion for a further 10 years until 2022. As part of the deal the Test Track attraction would essentially be gutted, leaving only the ride path and vehicles chassis in place.Other areas of the pavilion would also be completely redone as they were during the transition from World of Motion to Test Track.

The new ride-thru attraction that Disney is in talks with GM to fund would involve new vehicle bodies for the Test Track vehicles designed not by Imagineering but rather GM’s own design, research, and development unit. Upgraded interiors and new electronics and show elements (screens, etc..) would be the fruit of this collaboration. For the ride scenes the pavilion would become a sort of hybrid version of the original World of Motion and the current Test Track attraction, detailing vehicle design, production, fabrication, and testing with a nod toward its history and the future. Apparently currently iterations of the design have a distinctly forward-looking emphasis with grand splashes of futurism to boot.

Final details are being worked out between the companies before any formal announcement is going to be made. This information is subject to change. Two timelines for a possible closure of the attraction have been discussed, starting in either January or April. As always, the full history of the Transportation pavilion at Epcot, including its conceptual origins as a two-ride attraction with both a high-speed test track and a history ride-thru, can be found in the Epcot Explorer’s Enyclopedia.

I have said this should be the ride all along. I have many posts describing my idea in these forums. Can I take credit for this idea?

 

[hpyhnt 1000]

I hope all these things things do make it into the final form ... and I agree ... I am trying to get my head around how they can use the current ride system to coincide with the new 'theme' ... I am also trying to figure out why they are proposing to shift this to a heavier 'Chevy' theme and forgo GMC, Cadillac and Buick ... I can understand to an extent as Chevy is definately the most popular, and the most succesfull brand under the GM banner, but I can imagine the marketing leads on the other nameplates can't be too thrilled as you can imagine that some of their profits have to be funding the refurb and day to day operations for the attraction. Time will tell all, right?

The biggest reason I can see behind the change of sponsor name would be to eliminate the whole "Government Motors"/bailout situation. After the debacle of the last few years the GM corporate brand (at least in name) is not what it used to be. I'm willing to bet that a lot of people see a specific vehicle name like "Chevy" (which has a deep history, both historically and culturally) in a more positive light than they do the corporate branding of "GM." Its all about perception and Chevy conveys General Motors in a more positive light.