Smart: Mercedes pulls out of DTM race series to focus on Formula E

Pennies are dropping every week now, that the future of transport is electric.  It’s smart to embrace the opportunity and enormous full-cost savings this will bring to households, businesses and governments.  Kicking fossil fuels is about improving our health and lowering expenses. It’s also about guilt free sweet rides, that move like silent lightening, without degrading our air quality.

For all their technological prowess and leadership over the years, German automakers have been surprisingly slow on making the turn here.  Good to see them finally catching on.   Today Mercedes announced it’s pulling out of the German Touring Masters (DTM) European race series at the end of 2018 and entering the Formula E electric open-wheeler championship for the 2019-2020 season.  See, Mercedes will quit DTM in 2019 to race in Formula E:

Mercedes has been involved in DTM heavily since the late 1980s, and was a core participant in the series when it was relaunched in the year 2000. The manufacturer’s decision to leave means only BMW and Audi will remain once the 2019 season comes around.

It seems Mercedes is focusing its efforts on Formula E instead, confirming an entry into season six of the all-electric single-seater series. Both BMW and Audi have also confirmed a factory entry into the sport. The trio will join teams backed by DS, Jaguar, Faraday Future, and NIO.

Where does that leave DTM? Can Audi and BMW support the entire series? Are they willing? Will they even be around the series in 2019, or will they also focus energies on their Formula E efforts and continue to wind down other racing involvement? This could be the first domino in a chain reaction for DTM.

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