Inautomobile design, arear-engine design layout places theengine at the rear of the vehicle. Thecenter of gravity of theengine itself is behind the rear axle. This is not to be confused with the center of gravity of the whole vehicle, as an imbalance of such proportions would make it impossible to keep the front wheels on the ground.
Rear-engine position / Rear-wheel drive
Rear-engined vehicles almost always have a rear-wheel drivecar layout, but some arefour wheel drive. This layout has the following features:
Packaging: since there is no need for a transmission tunnel, the floor can be flat.[1]
Rear traction: having the engine located over the driven wheels increases downward pressure, which is helpful for grip on loose surfaces, although can be prone tooversteer.[2]
Simplicity of manufacture: the engine is near the driven wheels, and the transmission can be merged with the differential to save space.
This layout was once popular in small, inexpensive cars and light commercial vehicles. Today most car makers have abandoned the layout although it does continue in some expensive cars,[3] like thePorsche 911. It is also used in some racing car applications,[4]low-floor buses,coach buses,Class A motorhomes, front-dischargecement mixers, some Type-Dschool buses, and microcars such as theSmart Fortwo. Someelectric cars feature both rear and front motors, to drive all four wheels.[5]
This is adynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help byediting the page to add missing items, with references toreliable sources.
Smart Fortwo's three-cylinder engine sits behind the rear axle.
