The return of the DTM in 2000 ended a four-year hiatus following the cancellation of the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft at the close of the 1996 season. The revival attracted a field built around three manufacturers, each approaching the new formula from a different angle.
Mercedes-Benz returned as the dominant force, working through their factory-aligned operations H.W.A GmbH and AMG. Their return followed the ill-fated CLK GTR Le Mans project of 1999, and the team applied lessons from that programme to their new DTM machinery. Two additional independent teams — Persson Motorsport and Team Rosberg — also ran Mercedes-Benz cars, broadening the silver arrow's presence in the field.
Opel joined the series as the second major manufacturer, bringing along several teams from the recently concluded German Super Touring Championship (STW): Holzer, Phoenix, Irmscher, and Euroteam. The resumption of DTM effectively ended STW, whose calendar it had absorbed. Audi did not enter officially as a manufacturer but was represented through the semi-independent Abt Sportsline team, which developed the Audi TT-R with assistance from Audi itself.
The 2000 regulations standardised the technical formula across all entrants. All cars were required to run 4.0-litre naturally-aspirated DOHC V8 engines, with power output restricted through air restrictors — a principle carried through every DTM season to manage costs and maintain competitive balance. The formula mandated GT coupé-style bodywork for all entrants.
A universal Bosch technology package was introduced, making Bosch the sole supplier of ECU systems, spark plugs, sensors, alternators, and fuel injectors. Bosch also supplied equipment and tools to all teams and the series promoter. This standardisation was designed to reduce the technological and cost disparity between manufacturer-backed entries and smaller operations.
The 2000 season introduced a points system that awarded 20 points for a race win, 15 for second place, 12 for third, 10 for fourth, and then 8, 6, 4, 3, 2, and 1 for finishers down to tenth position. Both races at each weekend carried equal points value. Pole position and fastest lap were recognised as achievements but did not carry championship points, unlike in some other series of the era.
Drivers who failed to finish but had completed over 90 percent of the race distance were classified in the results and awarded points accordingly.
All nine race weekends were held in Germany. The championship covered eighteen races in total across the nine double-header weekends.
The 2000 DTM season was an important inflection point in German touring car racing. The revival demonstrated sufficient manufacturer and commercial interest to sustain the series through the following decade, during which it would grow into one of Europe's most high-profile national touring car championships. The regulatory framework established in 2000 — standardised V8 engines, air restrictors, coupé bodywork, and equal scoring across both weekend races — formed the structural template that underpinned the series' subsequent growth. The return also sealed the end of the STW formula, consolidating German touring car racing under a single banner for the first time since the early 1990s.