Five-time Bathurst 1000 winner Craig Lowndes says that he’d ‘love to’ race for a German marque in V8 Supercars under the category’s new-for-2013 Car of the Future regulations.

Lowndes will make his second consecutive Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour start for Audi this weekend, before stepping aboard his TeamVodafone Holden Commodore for the Clipsal 500 a week later.

While TeamVodafone is understood to be closing on a deal to remain with Holden next season (CLICK HERE for Speedcafe.com’s previous story), Lowndes is highly encouraging of new manufacturers becoming involved in V8 Supercars.

“I would love to see the German car manufacturers join our sport and I would love to be racing one,” wrote Lowndes in a column for motoring website carsguide.com.au.

“It’s a great fit for Nissan to return to racing in the premier motorsport category in Australia after its years of dominance in the early 1990s with Godzilla. But I really think we need to get brands like Audi, BMW and Mercedes involved.

“They have a tremendous racing heritage and it would give out sport a lot of international credibility.”

Although his current contract with TeamVodafone runs out at the end of 2012, Lowndes emphasised that he remains committed to the highly successful Queensland squad.

“For the first time in my career I’m not contracted to any one car company,” wrote Lowndes.

“I’m happy to be racing a Holden again after several years in a Ford, but I would have no hesitation in driving another manufacturer’s car, just so long as that’s what TeamVodafone principal Roland Dane wanted.”

At the announcement of Nissan’s entry into the class earlier this month, V8 Supercars chairman Tony Cochrane and Car of the Future project leader Mark Skaife both spoke bullishly on the possibility of a second new player joining the class in 2013.

The comments have led to rampant speculation as to the identity of a possible fourth manufacturer, with the likes of BMW, Chrysler, Hyundai, Kia and Toyota among the brands currently being linked to the sport.