Rear-Wheel-Drive Revival?

DETROIT—DaimlerChrysler is leading the way toward what could become a revival of rear-drive family cars. After a decade and a half of offering nothing but front-drive passenger cars, including a trio of full-size sedans, the 2005 model year brings a pair of rear-drive full-size automobiles. On sale this spring, the 2005 Chrysler 300 and Dodge Magnum can even have V-8 power—a sharp contrast to the V-6 engines that powered their predecessors.

Being Upfront
Chrysler Corp. (as the company used to be called) abandoned rear-wheel drive after the 1989 model year, when the last Dodge Diplomat and Plymouth Gran Fury sedans were manufactured. By then, mainly police and taxi fleets used the near-twin sedans.


Through the 1980s, Chrysler had been edging away from rear-drive and focusing on new front-drive products. In ads and at dealerships, Chrysler and Dodge customers learned the virtues of front-wheel drive, including greater traction on slippery pavement. That was a big selling point in the Snow Belt, where piloting a rear-drive car along icy roads and through sudden blizzards could be both difficult and hazardous.


Now, salespeople who've been touting the merits of front-drive to their customers will have to start promoting rear-drive instead.

Back to the Future
Signals of a rebirth of rear-drive at Chrysler first turned loud at Detroit's North American International Auto Show in January 2003, when the concept Hemi 300C debuted. Now, the car is in production. Why is this happening?