Editing Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (section)

===2004—2006===
After their successes with the [[Audi R8 Race Car|Audi R8]] and the official support of the Abt-TT-Rs at the Nürburgring, Audi finally joined the DTM as a factory entrant in 2004. The three constructors involved decided to switch to [[D-segment]] [[compact executive car|compact executive]]-based [[sedan (car)|saloon]] bodies. The road models used as patterns since 2004 are the [[Audi A4]], [[Opel Vectra]] GTS and the [[Mercedes-Benz C-Class]]. All dimensions, like the wheelbase, are identical in order to provide equal opportunities without the actual design of the road cars having any influence. Audi immediately had success in 2004 with Swedish driver [[Mattias Ekström]], now a long-time veteran of the sport, becoming a DTM series champion for the first time.

The championship suffered a setback in 2004 when long-time entrant [[Opel]] decided to pull out of the series at the end of the 2005 season, as part of a large cost-cutting operation in [[General Motors Corporation|General Motors]] European division. Initially, the gap looked set to be filled by [[MG Rover]], however their plans to enter the series were canceled after the company collapsed in April 2005. As a result, Audi and Mercedes ended up fielding 10 cars each in 2006, but the television deal with the major German television station [[ARD (broadcaster)|ARD]] required three marques to participate in 2007 in order to continue the broadcast agreement.