DS, the new premium offshoot from the Peugeot-Citroen alliance, has announced the creation of a new motorsport division, DS Performance that will support and grow its motorsport endeavours.

The new section will support the DS Virgin Racing team, a Formula E partnership between DS and Richard Branson's Virgin Racing team. It will be responsible for research and techncal developemnt, especially in the area of electric car racing technology for Formula E. Presently, DS Performance is developing the electric powertrain for the DSV-01 race car to be fielded by DS Virgin Racing. 

"More than a simple R&D laboratory, DS Performance will stand as a true showcase of the technological expertise and avant-garde spirit of the DS brand. It was a natural move for us to call on Yves Matton and his teams, multiple WRC and WTCC world champions, to develop the all-electric DSV-01 race car," said Yves Bonnefont, CEO of the DS brand. 

"I am very proud that DS has called on us to succeed in the new challenge of developing the DSV-01. After the work accomplished in the last few months, the success of the initial official tests of the DSV-01 with Sam Bird and Jean-Eric Vergne was a great source of satisfaction for my teams and myself. We are going to support DS Virgin Racing and work together from Beijing to London to add motorsport success to the DS brand's accomplishments," said Yves Matton, Director of DS Performance.