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Disney Releases More Details On Its New Cars-Themed Land
Say hello to Piston Peak National Park.
Last year, Disney announced an entire land dedicated to Pixar’s Cars at its Magic Kingdom Park in Orlando. Aside from a few illustrations that, actually, looked pretty awesome, the details were otherwise scarce. But today, the company has revealed new information on its next big expansion—including a name.
Say goodbye to Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America (RIP), and say hello to Piston Peak National Park (which, you probably don’t remember, was a real place in Disney’s Planes: Fire & Rescue movie). The new Cars area will be ripe with thick pine forests and snowy mountain peaks, and include a river that runs through the entire land. It will be the largest expansion in the history of the Magic Kingdom.
Disney Imagineers drew inspiration from America’s national parks for this new land, with the Piston Peak mountain range inspired by Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. The faux national park will also include a visitor’s lodge, a Ranger headquarters, and walking trails alongside two designated Cars attractions.
The first attraction, an off-road rally-style ride, will allow guests to weave through the forests and over Piston Peak on a trackless ride vehicle with new characters from the Cars franchise. Disney promises it will be “just like a real race.” A second, yet-to-be-named attraction will be geared toward smaller children and families.
Piston Peak National Park will extend from Liberty Square all the way to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and toward the updated Thunder Mountain Railroad roller coaster, which is set to re-open sometime in 2026. Guests who want to experience Tom Sawyer Island and the Riverboat before work begins on the new land have until July 7.
Disney hasn’t said exactly when the new land will open. But for such a massive expansion, don’t expect to see anything until at least 2027 or 2028.
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Nissan Wants To Make ‘Cool Cars’ Again
Nissan’s global head of product strategy said the company wants to have a sporty lineup, which could include the return of iconic nameplates.
Nissan is gearing up for a comeback. We were on hand earlier this week as the company unveiled the new Rogue E-Power Hybrid at its headquarters in Yokohama, Japan, while also teasing the return of the Xterra nameplate. But it’s not stopping there.
In a conversation with Richard Candler, Nissan’s global head of product strategy, he said that the brand is serious about bringing sporty cars back into the lineup. And not just the GT-R and Z—potentially other enthusiast-favorite nameplates as well. He notes:
‘We are really deeply looking at a sports lineup again. We want to do some cool cars. The first car I ever bought was a Silvia, so I’d love to bring back that nameplate. I do think it’s really valuable… I think there’s still space for Silvia, and we need to find the right solution for it.’
1999 Nissan Silvia S15
This isn’t the first time Nissan has hinted at reviving the Silvia. CEO Ivan Espinosa previously suggested that more sports cars could be in development alongside the upcoming R36 GT-R. While he stopped short of confirming the Silvia nameplate specifically, he did say that we will see “more sports cars coming into the portfolio.”
What a new Silvia might look like is still unclear, but it would likely target rivals like the Mazda Miata and Toyota GR86 / Subaru BRZ. As Candler puts it, “price access and accessibility are important for that product.”
Motor1’s Take: If Nissan follows through, this could be exactly what the brand needs. Leaning back into affordable, driver-focused sports cars—especially something like a revived Silvia—would help bring back enthusiasts in a way crossovers and EVs simply can’t.
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