Citroën confirms its expectations for DTM

Citroën could be the third manufacturer to join the DTM championship. Team principal Olivier Quesnel admitted that he was interested in moving from the World Rally Championship to the DTM.

« I went to Hockenheim to watch the DTM race and this series is miles away from what is done in the World Rally Championship, » declared Quesnel to Autosport.

Citroën is in the process of designing the new C5 model that would be used in case the French manufacturer enters DTM.

Citroen gives me a budget and I have to use it in the best possible way. We have a new car, the C5, which is on the same level in the market as the Audi A5 or the Mercedes C-Class.

The French manufacturer is not satisfied with the promotion of the World Rally Championship. The end of the contract binding Citroën to our national hero, Sébastien Loeb, scheduled for 2009, could be the reason for withdrawing from this championship. But just as in DTM, the introduction of new rules is under discussion.

« If we are completely sure that the World Rally Championship is a good idea, then we can make investments in the new car. But racing is not our only motivation, we are here to sell cars, » he continued.

« I was very happy to be in Jordan, but where were the spectators? We are not selling enough cars, we must shift our focus to China. If there isn’t some promotion of this championship around the world, it’s not possible for the costs to keep decreasing. »