Audi unveils A5 DTM

Audi is not going to let its rival in Munich take over the DTM news. Days after BMW took the wraps off its DTM M3 that will join the German touring car series next year, Audi is showing off its new entrant into the series now based on the A5. The first car produced will be on display at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt in September. 

Mechanically, the new car will be nearly identical as the outgoing A4-based DTM car. It will use the same 4 liter V8 producing 460hp and six-speed transmission. Due to rule changes, the 2012 car will use a smaller rear wing and have fewer aerodynamic components. 

Audi is talking up the increased safety in its new DTM car. New regulations mean that the driver must sit behind the B-pillar for safety reasons. The car's sides have been further reinforced in case of a side impact. Audi claims that they are 4 times stronger in the new car. The FIA now mandates that DTM cars be crash tested prior to the season in insure safety in a front-end collision.