The first World Touring Car Championship (WTCC), which was open to Group A Touring Cars, was held in 1987. However, it was a victim of its own success and lasted only one season - the FIA fearing it would take money away from Formula 1.

The European Touring Car Championship (ETCC), which was cancelled after the end of the 1988 season, due to escalating costs but was resumed in 2001 with support from the FIA. Following pressure from influential manufacturers, the ETCC was renamed the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC as of the start of the 2005 season. It is nowis now considered the third most important FIA championship after Formula One and the World Rally Championship.

With rounds at major prestigious circuits, the series is heavily supported by car manufacturers BMW, Chevrolet and SEAT, with Honda also involved, but some manufacturers like Lada and Volvo are interested in the championship and they could enter in a future.[citation needed] It features compact and midsize cars based on Group N rules, yet modified to Super 2000 regulations, an intermediate level between the slightly modified Superproduction cars and the extinct Supertouring class.

Following the trend of recent FIA rules, cost control is a major theme in the technical regulation. Engines are limited to 2000 cc. Many technologies that have featured in production cars are not allowed, including variable valve timing, variable intake geometry, ABS brakes and traction control system.

The series are based in Europe (with races in Great Britain, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Portugal and Czech Republic and former races in Sweden, Belgium, Netherlands and Turkey) but the FIA is extending the championship internationally: now there are races in Brazil, Mexico, Macau and Japan; in 2009 there will be a new race in Morocco and there are some rumours of a race in Russia for 2010 season

WTCC cars are fitted with a digital on-board camera system, similar to that used for FIAGT. The entire on-board camera system, including all radio frequency equipment is supplied to Alphacam by Gigawave.