Looking ahead to the 2016 season: How the new DTM car fielded by the Mercedes-AMG DTM Team will look

Stuttgart, Germany - The 2015 DTM season reaches its climax in September. But even before the final race weekends of the year, the Mercedes-AMG DTM Team are providing an insight into what lies ahead for the race series, revealing the first designs of the car that they will enter for the 2016 campaign.

The 2016 DTM car to be deployed by the Mercedes-AMG DTM team follows on from successful predecessors that include the most successful car in DTM history - the AMG Mercedes C-Class with which Mercedes-AMG drivers secured 85 victories in 159 races.

"The new Mercedes-AMG C 63 Coupé will again set new standards for driving dynamics and design. So, the vehicle provides the ideal basis for our DTM car," said Head of Mercedes-AMG DTM Ulrich Fritz. "I'm already looking forward to seeing the new Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM compete in 2016. Our aim with this vehicle is, of course, to continue the Mercedes-Benz success story in the DTM."

There have been many innovations in the DTM already this year. The touring car series began the season opener at Hockenheim with a new race format. The return to two races per weekend (one on Saturday and Sunday) was well received by fans. Overall, 341,000 spectators were at the track to watch the first five race weekends of the year, while 123,000 spectators came through the gates over the weekend to watch the two victories of the Mercedes-AMG DTM team in Nuremberg.

Live broadcasts on ARD's Sportschau also proved very popular during the first half of the season with some 10.91 million viewers tuning in to watch qualifying and the race live on ARD TV over the first five race weekends - that's 18.9% up on the previous year.