French Cars in the U.S at the Beginning of the 20th Century

The automobile was European by birth, American by adoption. French automakers had a clear technological advantage and it was clearly demonstrated in racing. The trend setters in New York City preferred French cars, whether they were propelled by steam, electric motors or in eternal combustion explosion motors. 

At the turn of the century, French firms dominated sales in the United States, and especially in the New York City luxury market. At both “automobile row” in upper Brooklyn and on Broadway, De-Dion-Bouton, Renault Freres, Panhard et Levassor, Clément-Bayard, Delahaye, C.G.V., Rochet-Schneider, Delaunay-Belleville, Peugeot, Leon Bollée, Darracq, De Dietrich, Hotchkiss, Pilain, LaBuire, and Mors all had active sales representatives.[i]

1900 Panhard

1901 Mors Type Z

New York Auto Show, 1900

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[i]Pau Medrano-Bigas, “The Forgotten Years of Bibendum: Michelin’s American Period in Milltown: Design, Illustration and Advertising by Pioneer Tire Companies (1900-1930).” Doctoral Dissertation, University of Barcelona, 2015. (English Translation, 2018). pp. 392-3.