Photo: Mercedes-AMG DTM on Facebook
It may not be as popular as Formula 1 in Europe or NASCAR in the United States, but the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters produces some of the best racing a motorsport enthusiast could ever wish for. Only three manufacturers compete in DTM at the present moment, though Mercedes-Benz announced that the Mercedes-AMG DTM team would cease to exist after the 2018 season to focus on the Formula E series from 2019 onward.
Here’s Toto Wolff, the head honcho of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, telling it as it is: “Formula E is like an exciting start-up venture - it offers a brand new format, combining racing with a strong event character, in order to promote current and future technologies. Electrification is happening in the road car world and Formula E offers manufacturers an interesting platform to bring this technology to a new audience.” As expected, the higher-ups governing the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters are not exactly happy.
Announcing their regret in a Facebook post, the organizers “have to respect the decision in a sporting and fair way.” 2019 is still one a half years away, and ‘till then, the ITR promised to analyze the void left by Mercedes-AMG, hoping to prepare a sustainable concept for the future.
In Formula E, the three-pointed star will compete under the EQ name. The all-electric sub-brand became official at the 2016 Paris Motor Show, and its first-ever model will start production in 2019. Based on the Generation EQ shown last fall, the model in question is a sport utility vehicle. Three other EV models are in the pipeline: two sedans and one more utility vehicle.
Mercedes-AMG’s yet-to-be-formed Formula E team will square off with the likes of Audi, BMW, Jaguar, Renault, DS, Mahindra, and NextEV in the 2019/2020 season of the all-electric series. Porsche is considering an entry in the zero-emission series too, but the Stuttgart-based automaker has yet to confirm its Formula E intentions as clearly as the three-pointed star.
Announcing their regret in a Facebook post, the organizers “have to respect the decision in a sporting and fair way.” 2019 is still one a half years away, and ‘till then, the ITR promised to analyze the void left by Mercedes-AMG, hoping to prepare a sustainable concept for the future.
In Formula E, the three-pointed star will compete under the EQ name. The all-electric sub-brand became official at the 2016 Paris Motor Show, and its first-ever model will start production in 2019. Based on the Generation EQ shown last fall, the model in question is a sport utility vehicle. Three other EV models are in the pipeline: two sedans and one more utility vehicle.
Mercedes-AMG’s yet-to-be-formed Formula E team will square off with the likes of Audi, BMW, Jaguar, Renault, DS, Mahindra, and NextEV in the 2019/2020 season of the all-electric series. Porsche is considering an entry in the zero-emission series too, but the Stuttgart-based automaker has yet to confirm its Formula E intentions as clearly as the three-pointed star.
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