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Before any new direction is decided I think the DTM needs a long hard look at its identity and what is wants or can be in the German motorsport scene. Personally I seriously question if any TCR+/Superstars/Trans-Am/GT3-esque series has a real shot at being a long term sustainable solution. The same could probably be said for GTE, though it might work for a year or two in a worst case scenario.
To me, you have to look at the multitude of factors that have contributed to the success of the various series in Germany over the past 40+ years. The DTM, and the DRM and Interserie before, have in my eyes always made the most sense when it has had the biggest stars and cars in Germany - when it feels like it is the battleground of its automotive industry, engineering talent, sponsors and teams. I feel much of that is lost if you throw engineering to the side and head for a performance-balanced or spec solution, and I think there's an expectation from the audience of some flair and power when it comes to the cars. TCR/GT3 ain't that.
To me it makes the most sense to look at where the German automotive manufacuters are at when it comes to their sporty mass-market cars and marketing. Where are the autobahn cruisers going? Why is Volkswagen doing the ID.R instead of any number of racing programs? Right now it feels like the challenge for Audi/BMW/Merc etc is to combine power and sportiness with something that's also forward-looking at sell their traditional consumers on it. If you can tap into that feeling you might find something that speaks both to manufacturers and fans.
I don't know - something like this might not even end up being a touring car series, but does that matter in the grand scheme of things? Germany is a big country where I bet you could run any number of racing series successfully, but constantly aiming for the stars has always seemed to be what's been behind their highest highs and lowest lows throughout the years.
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