Although all the hype surrounding the German Touring Car Championship (DTM) this week focused around BMW’s return and the unveiling of its M3 DTM concept, Audi aren’t prepared to let the Bavarian boys strut in and steal their limelight.
The revision in rules for next season will finally allow the use of coupes again after sedans were the only body guise permitted before this and with BMW opting for the coupe body style for the M3, Audi have followed suit with the A5 set to replace the previously used A4 DTM.
However, the change to the A5 is bordering cosmetic as just like Super GT and other touring car series, the machines in the DTM are very loosely based on their production counterparts.
Similar to the M3 DTM concept, the drivetrain for the Audi will consist of a 460hp V8 mated to a six-speed sequential transmission. The setup will be pretty much carried over from last year’s car as technical changes to the drivetrain were insignificant.
Safety regulations however will see the fuel cells integrated into the carbon fiber monocoque chassis to comply with new side-impact requirements. Furthermore, the car will come with a host of changes over the A4 DTM as new lower-cost regulations come into effect.
Only Mercedes-Benz has yet to unveil its new machine for next year although it’s expected that they will be switching over to a coupe bodystyle as well.
Source: Autoblog
