After much speculation on a new chassis to replace the DW12 that was announced in 2010 and made its competitive debut in 2012, IndyCar has provided an update on the new car that will race for the first time in 2028.
The still-nameless chassis is slated for on-track testing in early 2026, likely with the current 2.2L twin-turbo V6 engines. However, the new car also comes with a new engine formula.
The new engines will increase in displacement to 2.4L and will remain twin-turbocharged V6 engines. This matches up with a series release from May of 2018 indicating an engine formula that would have been used from 2021 through 2026.
Engine manufacturers will be announced at a later date.
The new car will see a weight reduction of between 85-100 pounds, answering a complaint shared by many in the paddock. It’s estimated that 25 of those pounds will come from a new gearbox design from XTRAC that will share components with Indy NXT competitors.
The new chassis will include a revised driver seating position, a new roll hoop and a new integrated aeroscreen instead of the one added to the DW12 chassis ahead of the 2020 season.
“The time has come for a new NTT IndyCar Series chassis,” IndyCar President Doug Boles said in a series release. “The DW12 served the series so well, as it provided a combination of phenomenal, wheel-to-wheel racing and critical enhancements to safety. But recent significant updates to the car – from the aeroscreen to the hybrid power unit – have helped advance the need for a completely new car. We are pleased by what our engineers and Dallara have collaboratively designed and believe it will appeal to the fans and paddock while also upholding our standards of safety and enhancing INDYCAR’s on-track competition well into the future.”
IndyCar also said that the hybrid system introduced in July of 2024 will include longer deployment times and increased horsepower for the new car.
The current DW12 has gone through several iterations. Dallara announced the car in a presentation in July of 2010 with on-track testing taking place throughout 2011 ahead of its 2012 debut.
For the first three years of competition, the DW12 ran with Dallara-designed bodywork (nose, engine cover, sidepods and rear wing). In 2015, the car design shifted to one dominated by manufacturer aero kits that ran from 2015 through 2017.
IndyCar announced a new Universal Aero Kit for the 2018 season and that has been run ever since. The series mandated a new aeroscreen for the 2020 season and introduced a hybrid engine component in 2024.
Christopher DeHarde has covered IndyCar racing and the Road to Indy for various outlets since 2014. In addition to open wheel racing, DeHarde has also covered IMSA and various short track racing events around Indiana. Originally from New Orleans, DeHarde moved to the Indianapolis area in 2017 to further pursue a career as a motorsports writer.