Advertisement, "Get a De Dion-Bouton "Motorette" and Keep Ahead of Time," circa 1900

In Brooklyn, New York, the De Dion-Bouton Motorette Company was formed under a license agreement with the parent company in Paris, France. Despite the exciting image in their ads, the manufacturing business was unsuccessful. Instead, De Dion-Bouton cars were imported for use in the U.S., and their single-cylinder engines became popular power plants for early automobiles, including American-made Pierce-Arrow and Peerless cars.