The Ultimate Family Entertainment Transportation

GM Delivers A New Approach To Family Transportation To Disney World

Orlando -- General Motors Corp. is taking Juno, a new approach to family travel, to the Innoventions exhibit at Disney World's Epcot theme park, where it will be presented to Disney guests for the remainder of 2004.

Juno demonstrates how a small, sporty vehicle can easily be equipped with family-friendly features that not only meet the transportation needs of a young family but also stay within their budget. "Adding convenience and entertainment to the family drive just naturally results in reduced driver distraction and results in a much safer ride. That's what we've done with Juno without breaking the family budget," says Kevin Kolpasky, GM's senior creative engineer responsible for developing the Juno vehicle.

At first glance, some of Juno's innovations may be more noticeable to children:

• A specially designed step-assist and handles were created to help young passengers get in and out of the vehicle;
• Seats are designed for the comfort of children and are placed for convenient interaction between both children and adult passengers;
• For infants, there are monitors located at the infant seat and also on the dashboard where parents and baby can keep an eye on each other;
• Controls for temperature and lighting are located right at the seats so children can control their own comfort resulting in fewer distractions for the driver;
• Windows can be dimmed for privacy or for naps. 

For longer drives, Juno is equipped with a state-of-the-art entertainment system with video games and DVD systems that have directional sound so that only the person directly under the speaker can hear it. Lap tables are included and storage for toys.

"When children are entertained and engaged, the trip goes much smoother and is less stressful on the driver," Kolpasky said. "Mom or Dad can concentrate on the traffic and not on answering, 'When are we going to get there?' questions or intervening in the usual 'Johnny touched me' squabbles."

Families who stop at the Innoventions exhibit at Epcot will experience a live presentation and hands-on test of some of Juno's unique features.

According to John Maciarz, Resident Director of GM operations at Epcot, "The Juno is an absolute perfect fit for the Innoventions exhibit. It's also a perfect example of our commitment to Disney guests to feature some of the latest and greatest GM technology at this world renowned theme park."

General Motors has been an active partner at Disney World since 1982 when it opened the GM World of Motion at Epcot. It's current attraction --The GM Test Track-- opened in March, 1999 and is home to one of Disney World's most popular thrill rides.

SOURCE: General Motors