Rear-Wheel Drive

The engine and gearbox of a rear-wheel drive vehicle are generally arranged longitudinally, that is, the cylinder arrangement direction of the engine is parallel to the driving direction. The engine is mostly installed in the front of the car, and the differential installed between the two rear wheels is driven by the transmission shaft to distribute power to the rear wheels. But there are also mid-engine and rear-engine designs, which are more common in sports cars. The rear-wheel drive layout has appeared since the invention of the car. Most cars before the 1950s used rear-wheel drive. Since then, with the popularity of front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive vehicles, the proportion of rear-wheel drive vehicles has gradually declined. Cars or sports cars that focus on acceleration still use rear-wheel drive, while most low-end and mid-range cars use front-wheel drive. Off-road vehicles and pickup trucks that emphasize off-road performance mostly use four-wheel drive.