A report in Automotive News Europe claims that car buyers globally want four-wheel-drive cars (4WD) but the carmakers are failing to provide it. The report says that more than a third of European and North American drivers want 4WD but only 17 percent of vehicles sold globally have it.
The report says that the vehicle makers are not sure how much of this demand can be satisfied profitably.
The driver demand was determined in a new study released at the fourth International All-Wheel-Drive Conference conference attended by engineers and sales managers earlier this month.
The study found big differences in demand between Europe and North America.
In the USA, 51 percent of female drivers and 55 percent of male drivers want to own a four-wheel-drive vehicle, mostly sport-utilities. In Europe, 27 percent of women drivers and 22 percent of male drivers want either a tough sport-utility or a conventional passenger car with four-wheel-drive or all-wheel drive.
The Automotive News Europe report said that to meet the diverse demand, more automakers are offering four-wheel-drive versions of normal passenger cars or crossover vehicles with sport-utility features.
