De Dion-Bouton models

De Dion-Bouton was a French pioneer of the motor industry, founded in 1883 by Jules-Albert de Dion, Georges Bouton and Charles Trépardoux and based in Puteaux, near Paris. The company began with steam vehicles: in 1893 it introduced steam tractors that used the De Dion tube, a rear axle design that still carries its name.

From 1892 De Dion-Bouton built light tricycles, and in 1895 it introduced a small single-cylinder petrol engine of 137 cc. It was licensed to more than 150 manufacturers, and about 40,000 had been supplied by 1904. The company also built cars of its own, such as the De Dion-Bouton Vis-à-vis, a small car whose passengers sat facing each other, and the Model D voiturette of 1900. Around 1900 it was one of the largest car makers in the world; sources differ on its exact rank. Car production ended in 1932, and the company itself closed in 1953. See also Panhard and classic cars.