Where did Focus RS get its AWD From?

Yes I know its now common knowledge that Ford engineers developed the system in house, but that's really not the full story.

Ford is on the record that they worked closely with GKN Driveline, a company out of Sweden, on the Focus RS. Do you know who else worked closely with GKN? Land Rover.

What's interesting is that Car and Driver discovered that the Focus's 'Rear-Drive Unit' shares remarkable similarities to Land Rovers 'Active Driveline' they debuted on hot versions of the Evoque.

The official details of what Ford calls the Focus's Rear-Drive Unit are almost identical to those of the rear axle "Active Driveline" that Land Rover recently introduced on higher-performance versions of the Range Rover Evoque. Both use twin electronically controlled clutches on the rear axle to send torque to the back wheels, and both are claimed to be capable of the same neat side-to-side torque-vectoring trick.

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The best part about the new system however is its potential scalability. Joe Bakaj, Ford of Europe's VP had this to say, "If you look at the thread of the presentation and what we've used these fast Fords for in the past, a lot of mainstream technologies that we use today came from these vehicles, and I can see this as one of those technologies of the future."

The pricier twin clutch system will likely stay exclusive to RS branded cars, but we could and should see a mono clutch system make its way into Lincoln vehicles first and foremost. One of those rare instances where enthusiasts and accountants find themselves on the same page, of the same book...