The classes 610 to 612 were diesel multiple units constructed for fast regional services with a maximum speed of 160 km/h. The vehicles are equipped with tilting technology which allows a higher speed in track curves.

The first German tilting technology trains were class 610 DMU's which were put into service in 1992. Only 20 exemplars were built, which were in operation in the region around Nuremberg. The railcars were withdrawn in 2014 after only 22 years in service.

Since the operator DB preferred vehicles which were built exclusively in Germany (components of the class 610 were imported from Italy), the follow-up class 611 was developed by the German manufacturer ADtranz. Due to numerous technical problems with these cars, however, also only 50 units were built. The class 611 was in service until 2019.