Disneyland Reveals Big Change For Popular Autopia Ride That’s Been Requested For Years

The historic Autopia, which invites guests to take a scenic journey aboard a car with a working gas pedal and steering wheel, is the only Tomorrowland attraction dating back to Disneyland's opening day in 1955. Many guests have vivid memories of driving an Autopia car as kids as they navigated the roads of the attraction (with the undercarriage guard rail guiding their trip).

A significant criticism of Autopia has been that it is long overdue for an overhaul to replace the gas-powered engines in the attraction. The noise and smell of the gas-powered vehicles alone have been a deterrent for some guests who would rather skip Autopia in favor of other more popular Tomorrowland attractions like Space Mountain, Star Tours, and Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters.

In a column shared by the Los Angeles Times, it has been revealed that Disney is planning on eventually replacing Autopia's gas cars. Keep reading for everything we know so far about this change!

Autopia Gas Cars Will Eventually be Replaced

In the Los Angeles Times column, Disney officials shared the plan for Autopia to eventually get rid of its pure gasoline engines. “Since opening with Disneyland park in 1955, Autopia has remained a guest-favorite most popular with young kids experiencing driving for the first time,” spokesperson Jessica Good said in an email. “As the industry moves toward alternative fuel sources, we have developed a roadmap to electrify this attraction and are evaluating technology that will enable us to convert from gas engines in the next few years.”

Disney mentioned and confirmed this change in a Disney Parks Blog post, saying Autopia is “on the road to electrification in the next few years” and more details will be shared in the future. This will not be an immediate change, as the language is that this will be happening “in the next few years,” and no comment has been shared for the Tomorrowland Speedway in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World (pictured below), which also utilizes gas-powered cars.

It was shared in the column that Disney Legend Bob Gurr agrees that it is time for Autopia's gas cars to go, expressing distaste for the gasoline fumes. “Get rid of those God-awful gasoline fumes,” Gurr said to the Los Angeles Times. As a legendary Imagineer, Gurr has developed more than 100 designs for attractions, including the original Autopia cars in the mid-1950s.

Autopia may not be the only part of Tomorrowland that is ready for some updates. Gurr also shared a larger vision for Tomorrowland that could be, according to the Los Angeles Times column, “a hub for stories about renewable energy, public transit and other sustainable technologies that will help us create a better tomorrow.” Gurr was quoted in the column stating, “This has to be done with positive urging, rather than attacking and criticizing.” Gurr of course is no longer working for Disney but its great to hear his opinion on the efforts.

Many Disney fans have been expressing interest in revitalizing Tomorrowland for a while now, especially with the Star Wars Launch Bay and old PeopleMover track sitting underutilized and some attractions that are in need of an update. Gurr expressed a vision of a Tomorrowland where guests could “hear these whirring sounds like little tiny jets and turbines all over the place.”

It would be nice to see a refreshed Tomorrowland, as the energy of the land falls a bit flat compared to other areas of the park that are getting some new updates. Disneyland has recently started construction on an update to the Haunted Mansion to add some new additions that will “expand on the story and lore of the attraction,” and it was also recently announced that Critter Country will be closing soon for the addition of two new retail shops. A bigger update to the Tomorrowland area could be something that we see announced during this year's D23 in August.

We have been asking for the Autopia change for years. It's something that feels long overdue and that we hope is completed sooner rather than later.

You can read the column sharing the news on this upcoming change to the Autopia gas cars from the Los Angeles Times here.

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