De Dion suspension

Unlike an anti-roll bar, a de Dion tube is not directly connected to the chassis, and is not intended to flex.

The axle, however, was invented around 1894 by co-founder Charles Trépardoux, Georges Bouton's brother-in-law,[3] for use on the company's steam tricycles.

[7] 4WD variants of the Honda Fit and Honda HR-V subcompact SUV have been reported as using a de Dion style suspension;[8] however, these vehicles actually have a twist-beam rear suspension, with the cross beam element located even further forward (and thus even more like a trailing arm and less like the beam axle of a de Dion) than the 2WD variants.

Walter Snow Fighter plow trucks produced by the Walter Truck Company of Long Island, New York throughout the mid 20th century used de Dion axles with portal gear hubs for both the front and the rear suspension, allowing the use of large differentials for durability without increasing unsprung weight or reducing ground clearance.

UC San Diego’s Formula SAE team, Triton Racing, has employed the use of de Dion rear suspension in their vehicles since 2015.

De Dion suspension characteristics: Camber change on one-sided bumps, none on rebound. The de Dion tube is shown in blue. The differential (yellow) is connected directly to the chassis (orange). Universal joints are shown in green.
De Dion rear axle
A de Dion tube used in a 1998 Ford Ranger EV . The gray bar is the de Dion tube, and the black rods above it are the Watt's links used to laterally locate the tube.