Lotti revealed the TCR concept in July 2014, positioning it explicitly as a more affordable spin-off of the WTCC. The series was built around the FIA's TC3 classification for touring cars, targeting front-wheel-drive production vehicles rather than the heavily modified machinery of the top-tier TC1 category used by the WTCC. The name TCR follows the FIA's touring car naming convention, with TC1 denoting the highest tier and TC2 covering legacy machinery used in the European Touring Car Championship. After FIA approval in December 2014, the organisation renamed the championship from TC3 International Series to TCR International Series.
Cars were required to be four or five-door production-bodied vehicles with reinforced shells, permitted wheel arch modifications to accommodate wider tyres. Eligible engines were turbocharged petrol or diesel units displacing up to 2.0 litres, producing approximately 350 PS and a maximum torque of 420 Nm. Minimum weight was set at 1,250 kg for cars using a production gearbox or 1,285 kg with a racing sequential unit. Aerodynamic specifications were tightly controlled, with front splitter dimensions based on the 2014 SEAT Leon Eurocup car and a rear wing conforming to FIA Appendix J regulations. A Balance of Performance system adjusted car weights by between minus 20 and plus 70 kg from the minimum figure to maintain competitive parity across the multiple manufacturers.
The first season in 2015 launched at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia with a calendar spanning Asia, Europe, and South America. SEAT was among the earliest manufacturers to commit through the Target Competition team running Leon Eurocup cars, alongside Honda entrants run by WestCoast Racing using JAS Motorsport-built Civic TCRs, and Volkswagen Golf entries from Liqui Moly Team Engstler. The race weekend format mirrored the WTCC structure, with two free practice sessions, a two-part qualifying session, and two races on Sunday. The series was also designed to run alongside Formula One at selected events to maximise exposure.
From its inaugural season the TCR concept proved highly exportable. Lotti's organisation licensed the regulations to national and regional promoters, and championships rapidly emerged across Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Australia. The SEAT Leon, Honda Civic, Volkswagen Golf, and subsequently Audi RS3, Hyundai i30 N, and other models were homologated for TCR competition worldwide. The formula's accessibility — standardised safety equipment, controlled tyre supply, and a shared technical platform — attracted both privateer teams and junior factory programmes.
In December 2017, the FIA World Motorsport Council announced that the TCR International Series would merge with the World Touring Car Championship and the European Touring Car Cup from the beginning of the 2018 season. The combined championship was relaunched as the World Touring Car Cup (WTCR), adopting TCR technical regulations as its sole framework and replacing the WTCC's top-tier TC1 cars. This decision effectively concluded the TCR International Series as a standalone championship after three seasons, with its regulations becoming the global standard for international touring car competition.
The TCR International Series had an outsized influence on touring car racing relative to its brief existence. By establishing a homologation framework, balance of performance system, and global licensing model, it created the infrastructure for dozens of championships across six continents to share a common technical platform. The series demonstrated that a production-based formula with controlled costs could attract genuine manufacturer interest — from SEAT, Honda, and Volkswagen initially to a much broader pool — while producing competitive, multi-manufacturer racing. Its merger into the WTCR legitimised the TCR concept at the highest level of international touring car competition, and the TCR brand subsequently became the dominant framework for touring car racing globally.