It’s a major coup for BMW, not only because Tomczyk was one of Audi’s quickest drivers, but he brings with him the coveted No. 1.

“Our squad of drivers is gradually firming up,” said BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt. “With Martin Tomczyk we are proud to have gained an absolute top-notch driver for our DTM involvement. Despite being fairly young in the touring car context, he is one of the most experienced DTM drivers around: he’s consistently fast, of impeccable character and an out-and-out winner.

In 2011 he was the first driver ever to win the DTM championship in an older spec car. We will do everything we can to consolidate this success with him in the future. Our target is to become competitive as quickly as possible, and from that point of view we see Martin as an extremely important asset.”

After several years in karting, 1998 and 1999 saw Tomczyk compete in the BMW Formula ADAC junior racing series initiated by the ADAC and BMW. Following a year in Formula 3, he took the step up into the DTM, where he has been driving for Audi since the 2001 season. In 2007 and 2011 Tomczyk was voted ADAC Motor Sportsman of the Year.

The highlight of his career so far came this season, in which he celebrated three out of his total of seven DTM wins, made it onto the podium eight times, and became the first driver in DTM history to take the title in an older spec car.

From 6th to 8th December, Tomczyk will get behind the wheel of the BMW M3 DTM for the first time in Monteblanco, southern Spain.

With three BMW factory teams gearing up for the 2012 season, there are now just 2 seats available.

There is no word (as yet) where Tomczyk will next appear, BMW are evaluating drivers for its 3-car entry in the 2012 DTM season and have so far confirmed just 3 of their 6 drivers (Augusto Farfus, Andy Priaulx and Bruno Spengler).

Tomczyk describes his decision as a difficult one that he made only after careful consideration. “I won the Championship for Audi after eleven years together. The entire Audi Sport team and in particular Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich have always been behind me throughout the many years we spent together,” explains Tomczyk.

“I’m delighted that I could repay the trust by winning the 2011 championship title together with team Phoenix. Despite this joint success, and after careful consideration, I have now decided to accept a new challenge. To conclude, I would once again like to thank everybody with whom I have worked together during my eleven years at Audi Sport and assure every single individual that these years were, in hindsight, something very special.”

Tomczyk started his DTM career in the 2001 season as 19-year-old in Team ABT Sportsline with the Abt-Audi TT-R and was, at that time, the youngest DTM driver in history. In 2003 he became Audi factory driver in the ‘S line Audi Junior Team.’ Since 2004 he has competed with the Audi A4 in the DTM, initially for Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline and for the first time in 2011 for Audi Sport Team Phoenix.

In his sixth DTM season in 2006 he finally recorded the first of his seven DTM race wins to date. By winning the championship title in 2011 at the wheel of a year-old car he achieved the greatest victory of his career up to now.

His country’s motor sport federation Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club (ADAC) awarded the DTM champion the title of ‘Motor Sportsman of the Year’ ahead of his compatriot and F1 champion Sebastian Vettel. Tomczyk’s father, Hermann, is Sporting President of the ADAC.

“It goes without saying that we deeply regret that he decided, at this moment in time, to seek a new challenge after his most successful DTM season with Audi,” says Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “I can, however, completely understand that after eleven special years of highs and lows with Audi he would like to try something new – after all by winning the DTM title at the wheel of an Audi A4 DTM he has achieved exactly the goal for which he was worked so hard for many years.

I’m personally delighted that Martin showed his many critics this year because I always believed in him. I can understand that to start he viewed the transfer to team Phoenix and a year-old car as demotion. But it gave, as I hoped, his career new impulses. I always enjoyed working together with Martin. He is a complete professional who I personally hold in high regard. I wish him all the best for the future.”

How Audi will line up in the DTM next year will be decided over the forthcoming weeks. In Mattias Ekström (Sweden) and Timo Scheider (Germany) the Ingolstadt brand has two DTM Champions under contract who have both won the championship twice for Audi. No less than eight of the nine Audi drivers mounted the DTM podium at least once in 2011. Audi currently plans to contest the DTM 2012 with a maximum of seven cars.

BMW will be represented in the DTM by three factory teams, BMW Team Schnitzer, BMW Team RBM and BMW Team RMG. Each team will enter two of BMW’s M3 DTM cars, shown for the first time in its BMW M Performance livery at last weekend’s season finale in Hockenheim.

Spengler made his debut in the DTM in 2005, and has made a solid impression on the series. The 28-year-old has been on the top step of the podium nine times in 74 starts. In addition, the French-Canadian has claimed 11 pole positions and set 12 fastest laps to date. Twice – in 2006 and 2007 – Spengler narrowly missed out on the DTM title, ending up second in the drivers’ classification on each occasion. In 2011 he finished third overall for Mercedes-Benz.

“In recent weeks we have not only been developing the BMW M3 DTM, but have also been working on the driver line-up for our return to the DTM,” says BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt.

“Outside our current line-up, Bruno Spengler was one of our top choices. Despite his youth he has a lot of DTM experience, which will greatly assist us during our development phase and on race weekends. For this reason, we did not hesitate when the opportunity to sign Bruno up arose. We have yet to decide which of our three teams he will drive for. That will be announced at a later stage.”

Spengler initially made his name in Formula Renault and Formula 3 before making his debut in the DTM in 2005. He scored his first points with a sixth place at the Lausitzring (DE) and went on to claim his first win at the Norisring (DE) a year later. He followed up that victory with his first pole position at the Nürburgring (DE). He has since developed into one of the top drivers in this series.

Across all channels throughout the campaign, BMW will aim to show athleticism and passion as the core quality of its highest selling model.

Online assets are already in use over on www.bmw.com and www.facebook.com/bmw, together with 360 degree viewer and a configurator, which enables site visitors to share their configured vehicle with friends on other social channels.

Print and TV will join the campaign next February, to be joined by a special integrated launch of the full hybrid BMW ActiveHybrid 3, which is due at the end of 2012.

The TV commercials will play on the emotional scenes from different sports disciplines, including the new London Olympic Stadium and BMW’s involvement in the 2012 DTM series. Music will be provided by Billy Idol’s 1981 song, “Dancing With Myself”.

Whilst the theme is ‘sporting’ the tone of the campaign is intended to be light and humorous, using the term ‘Versus’ to describe the unique character of the new BMW 3 Series – where passion always wins.

Will it work?

As with many multi-channel campaigns, the central idea seems to have become lost in translation – both literally and figuratively. “Style vs. Stylish. Passion Wins.” and “Head-Up Display vs. Speeding Ticket. Passion Wins.” – If you can understand more than 1 of these posters I’ll be surprised and the whole delivery smacks of something designed by committee and completely over-engineered (or over thought).

No doubt with a considerable comms and promotion budget pushing them into our consciousness, people’s curiosity will be ignited and BMW showrooms will be awash with potential buyers, but this seems a pretty poor start for a model that BMW depend on for their continued survival.

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BMW works driver Dirk Werner completed two laps of the Hockenheim track in the “BMW M Performance Accessories M3 DTM”, with eight-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen joining him in the new 2012 Audi A5 DTM.

Audi’s Hans-Jürgen Abt spoke about his enthusiasm for the 2012 season, “I’m already looking forward to a new era in the DTM. Continuing with the new cars for Audi and meeting with BMW as another competitor is a huge challenge. For the team as well it’s a huge task. It has to sort itself anew with the new technology.

2012 Audi A5 DTM driven by Tom Kristensen

I know that I’ve got a tremendous squad. I look forward to us taking on the competition. That has always been our strength, particularly at the beginning of such a new era. We’ll let ourselves be surprised.”

BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt said: “This event was something very special for us. Since the early morning there have been clusters of people around our car, and it was simply breathtaking to be able to present our car in front of such a crowd.

The reactions to our car were all positive. Today gave us all a lot of extra motivation to present ourselves in top form in half a year’s time at the same venue.”

Fitted with a powerful new V8 engine generating approximately 480 bhp, the M3 DTM accelerates from 0 to 62 mph in a little over three seconds and has a theoretical top speed of nearly 190 mph.

BMW works driver Dirk Werner commented: “It was a great experience to be able to do today’s demonstration laps. Obviously I drove the BMW M3 DTM at the recent tests – but a stage like this really is something special. You could feel the spine tingling atmosphere even in the car.”

2012 BMW M3 DTM which was driven by Dirk Werner at Hockenheim today

The new “BMW M Performance Accessories” livery of the BMW M3 DTM had been presented to a few members of the public at the BMW Autohaus Krauth in Heidelberg (DE) on Friday.

Around three months earlier, on July 15th, the BMW M3 DTM concept car was officially presented at the BMW Welt in Munich (DE). From 2012 on, BMW will compete in the DTM with three strong teams, the BMW Team Schnitzer, the BMW Team RBM and the BMW Team RMG. The BMW works drivers Andy Priaulx (GB) and Augusto Farfus (BR) have already been confirmed as drivers for the 2012 season.

The DTM finale takes place this coming weekend (October 23rd) at the Hockenheimring and with the regulations changing for 2012, Mercedes has chosen to remind us of their rich and illustrious history in the series, by sharing some images below.

Since 2000, when the DTM series was revived, Mercedes-Benz have won 18 out of the 25 races staged at Hockenheim, which is a win rate of over 70 percent. But Audi’s A4 DTM is none too shabby either – 43 pole positions, 31 fastest race laps, 34 victories and five champion’s titles since its debut in April 2004 at Hockenheim.

Spengler said, “The Hockenheimring is one of my favourite tracks, and the season opener in May went really well for us – it was the second win in my career at the circuit. I especially like the combination of fast corners and slow sections such as the hairpin. This course is technically very demanding and you need good brakes and impressive top speed. It’s a lot of fun racing here. As this is the last race for the DTM AMG Mercedes C-Class, we’re aiming to send our fans home happy with a victory and to win the team championship.”

Audi Sport driver Mattias Ekström spoke of his thoughts before the weekend, “It’s always nice to travel to Hockenheim. It will conclude the season. This time I’m arriving there completely relaxed and will try to deliver a solid performance. I want to clinch another good result before we can look forward to the winter break and the tests with the new A5 DTM.”

So, the gloves are off for what should be a stunning season finale, which will be made even more special by the first display of all 2012 championship contenders on track at the same time – the Audi A5 DTM, the BMW M3 DTM and the DTM AMG Mercedes C-Coupé will all take to the racetrack for some demonstration laps, providing fans with their first taste of what to expect in 2012.

Without further ado, I’ll let you absorb the latest images from Mercedes-Benz showcasing the history of the C-Class DTM.

Paul di Resta, 2010 DTM Champion.

Klaus Ludwig, Champion, 1994 DTM Champion.

MERCEDES GP PETRONAS Formula One car next to a THOMAS SABO AMG Mercedes C-Class at the DTM Festival in Munich, 2011.

Bernd Schneider, 2006 DTM Champion.

Bernd Schneider, 1995 DTM Champion.

2004 DTM pre-season test in Barcelona.

Gary Paffett, 2005 DTM Champion at Hockenheim.

Bernd Schneider 1995 & 2000 DTM Champion with the AMG Mercedes CLK and C-Class.

Available on the world market from 11 February 2012, the new F30 3 Series will be available from launch with two petrol engines – 328i and 335i and two diesel variants including the 320d and the 320d EfficientDynamics. The pricing in Germany for these models is between € 35,350 (£30,876) for the 320d and € 43,600 (£38,082) for the six-cylinder petrol 335i. This compares with € 34,300 for the outgoing E90 320d and € 43,150 for the E90 335i saloon.

In spring 2012 the model range will be complemented by other variants, including the more powerful 330d and 335d/340d diesel models and a twin-turbo 2-litre which replaces the old 330i, whilst In autumn 2012 a full hybrid model will join the 3 Series range with a 335 bhp powerplant.

Take a closer look at the new BMW 3 Series with Andreas-Christoph Hofmann (VP Brand Communication), Christopher Weil (Exterior designer) and Christian Bauer (Interior designer).

More space, more performance and less weight

BMW are claiming a victory in the battle for the most efficient premium model range with the new 3 Series. The F30 3 Series is larger (+93 mm) and noticeably more spacious than its E90 predecessor – knee room behind the front seats has grown by 15 mm and headroom by 8 millimetres. However despite this increase in size, the new F30 3 Series is up to 45 kg lighter.

This is best illustrated by the gains in efficiency – the 320d EfficientDynamics Edition with power of 161 bhp, consumes just 69 mpg (4.1 litres per 100 km) and with a corresponding CO2 rating of 109 g/km. The BMW 335i with its twin-turbocharged six-cylinder engine and 302 bhp, will consume between 36.0 and 39mpg (7.2 to 7.9 litres per 100 kilometres) depending on the equipment fitted. Auto Start Stop function is standard for all engine-gearbox versions.

The new BMW 3 Series also offers a ‘switchable’ driving experience. In addition to the settings COMFORT, SPORT and SPORT + there is also an Eco Pro mode, and therefore depending on an individual’s driving behaviour, a further fuel saving of up to 20% is possible.

Several new innovations for the class

The new BMW 3 Series saloon introduces a number of innovations unique to its class. BMW is the first manufacturer in premium mid-size class to offer a head up display – projecting important information onto the windscreen in direct view of the driver, optionally, an eight-speed automatic transmission for all engines will be available with an automatic start stop system as standard.

BMW’s latest ConnectedDrive infotainment system will also be available on the new 3 Series, improving safety and making it more comfortable to drive in traffic. Features include Active Cruise Control with Stop & Go function, and Lane Change and Lane Departure Warning with collision warning or Surround View. It also acts as a parking assistant to manoeuvre the car into a parking space. In addition, real-time traffic information (RTTI traffic information system) and specific apps for the use with social networks are also available.

As we mentioned a few weeks ago, BMW will be using a similar naming system to that introduced on the new 1 Series last month – “Sport Line”, “Modern Line” and “Luxury Line” will be offered, providing customers with many more options for shaping the vehicle to their own requirements.

Last year BMW Group sold a total of about 399,000 3 Series models around the world and will be seeking to exceed that figure with the new F30 3 Series.

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The live broadcast kicks off at 3PM (BST) from the BMW plant in Munich, which you can join here.

From the spy shots we brought you back in August, the F30 3 Series looks to be a conservative design, loosely based on the current 5 Series.

We’re expecting the usual range of four-cylinder and six-cylinder petrol and diesel engines, with an emphasis on smaller-capacity turbocharged powerplants boosted by the usual EfficientDynamics technologies including the new ECO PRO fuel saving mode, Auto Start-Stop function and a full gamut of BMW’s latest intelligent energy management systems.

We understand BMW will adopt a similar distinction between specifications including Urban, Sport and SE.

To mark the occasion, BMW have produced a series of short videos for each generation which you can see below.

BMW 3 Series 1975

BMW 3 Series 1982

BMW 3 Series 1990

BMW 3 Series 1998

BMW 3 Series 2005

The team completed two productive days of testing with three newly developed BMW M3 DTM cars. BMW works drivers Andy Priaulx (GB), Augusto Farfus (BR), Jörg Müller (DE) and Dirk Müller (DE) were all in action on Monday and Tuesday at the first joint test for all manufacturers represented in the 2012 DTM season, gaining more valuable experience with the car and making another step towards the DTM comeback of BMW next year.

“We can look back positively on the test at the Lausitzring,” said BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt. ”Our four drivers got a lot of kilometres under their belts at the Lausitzring and collected a lot of data. It was interesting to test together with our rivals for the first time, although it is still too early to make any real comparisons between the manufacturers.

Congratulations to Audi and Mercedes-Benz. They will also be lining up with really beautiful and impressive cars. I think the fans can look forward to a great season with the BMW M3 DTM, the Audi A5 DTM and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupé.”

BMW Motorsport headed to the Lausitzring with its three teams – BMW Team Schnitzer, BMW Team RBM and BMW Team RMG – to continue the development work with the BMW M3 DTM. The drivers assessed different set-up variations and completed extensive tyre tests. In addition, the Lausitzring provided a perfect opportunity to test the efficiency of many new components out on the track.

Dirk Müller and Jörg Müller, who both took to the track in the BMW M3 DTM for the first time, were impressed by the new car. “Monday’s test was great fun,” said Dirk Müller. “It reminded me of my time in single-seater racing. The BMW M3 DTM also generates a lot of downforce. I felt comfortable with the car from the word go.”

Jörg Müller added: “As a driver, you obviously have to get used to a car like this. The BMW M3 DTM is very responsive and is unbelievably good turning into corners. You can feel the immense downforce in the fast corners. We spent a lot of time on the track on Tuesday and learned a lot.”

The next test with the BMW M3 DTM is scheduled for 21st/22nd September 2011 at the Hungaroring near Budapest (HU). Dirk Müller and Dirk Werner (DE) will continue the BMW Motorsport testing programme alongside Priaulx and Farfus.

The Audi A5 DTM appears lower and sturdier than its predecessor. Underneath the body, which is completely made of carbon, a new type of chassis features a hybrid construction. The combination of a carbon fibre monocoque and steel cage sets new standards in terms of safety for a touring car and is one of more than 50 components which are now identical across all DTM vehicles.

“Due to these shared components it was possible to achieve the cost reduction target of up to 40 percent without compromising on the safety and attractiveness of the DTM vehicles,” explains Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich, who has been in charge of the new Audi A5 DTM development.

The A5 DTM is 5.01 meters long, 1.95 meters wide and 1.15 meters in height. The wheelbase of all DTM vehicles is identical at 2.75 meters. Like its predecessor, the A5 DTM is powered by a V8 engine with an output of around 453 bhp. The six-speed transmission, now pneumatically operated using paddle shifters in the steering wheel, is a new development on the A5 DTM. Shifting events are more precise compared with conventional manual gearshifts and enable the lifetime mileage of the unit to be quadrupled to 24,000 km.

A safety fuel tank with a capacity of 120 litres is integrated with the carbon fibre cell of the A5 DTM, and would allow the current distance of a DTM race to be covered without a refuelling stop. For longer races a quick refuelling system is in development.

The engine sub-frame at the front and the transmission at the rear are now standardised for all DTM cars and limit the freedom of the engineers with respect to the suspension, which has to be mounted to these shared components. In addition, steel as the material for the A-arms and the tube dimensions are defined by the series organisers. For the hub carrier, the regulations specify the material and the production process to be used and prescribe a milled aluminium part with a minimum weight. Furthermore, the regulations also define the wheel hubs and the rims used for all entrants.

Aerodynamics have also been restricted in the new regulations. Air flow through the body, as in the case of the current A4 DTM, and complex additional wings at the rear are no longer allowed. This creates a stronger visual resemblance between the race car and the road car, whilst at the same time the new DTM vehicles are less sensitive to body contact, so ‘rubbin’ is racing’ is likely to return to DTM in 2012.

“In the past, Audi has had very innovative solutions particularly in the area of aerodynamics in the DTM,” says Dr. Martin Mühlmeier, Head of Engineering at Audi Sport. “Since these areas have been subjected to severe restrictions good detailed solutions will now be crucial to achieving advantages over the competition.”

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