Mazda Motor Corporation

Hideaki Akaboshi

Ayumu Doi

Koichi Yamamoto

Naomune Moriyama

Reiji Kikuchi

Takahito Yokouchi

Masaki Kadokura

In a four-wheel-drive motor vehicle of transversely-disposed engine type, an engine and a transmission are disposed so as to be longitudinally offset from each other and to locate a gravitational center thereof in a rearward position of an axle of front wheels, and in addition an output shaft of the transmission and a center differential are disposed coaxially. With this arrangement, imbalanced weight distribution of the vehicle body on front wheels can be corrected, and a longitudinally-compact layout of the power transmission device can be obtained. Further, a height of a bonnet can be lowered.

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Hiroshima, Japan

Hideaki Akaboshi