Sales of vehicles with all-wheel-drive technology have climbed more than 50 percent since 2009. According to Ford Dealerships In North Carolina, last year alone, more than 20 percent of all new cars and utilities sold in this country offered the feature. But it’s not brands like Subaru or Jeep that are setting the pace—it’s actually Ford, which offers a lineup of AWD vehicles that is unsurpassed by any other non-luxury brand.
According to a San Jose Ford Dealer, This helps explain why, even as the industry growth rate for the segment has climbed 53 percent in the past three years, deliveries of Ford’s AWD products have improved even faster—by 72 percent. And the Blue Oval’s technology is improving at just about the same speed.
The cutting-edge intelligent all-wheel-drive system was introduced in the 2013 Ford Escape. It now relies on data sent from 25 external inputs to assess driving conditions and manage torque distribution every 16 milliseconds. On the other hand, the technology is so compact and efficient that the AWD Escape still can post an EPA line of 22 mpg city/30 mpg highway/25 mpg combined. The automaker also offers all-wheel-drive capability with its Edge, Flex and Explorer SUVs, as well as its Taurus and Fusion sedans. In 2012, the “take rate” on these vehicles, reflecting the proportion of units purchased with the feature, climbed to 37 percent.
Of course, as you’d expect from Ford, the technology isn’t just highly capable and highly popular, it’s also highly affordable at dealers like Ford Houston.
“While we continue to make our technology better, this doesn’t come at an added cost for our customers,” said Mike Murphy, global small car and SUV marketing manager. “Ford is enhancing the confidence and capability that driver’s desire.”