Which Chevrolet model introduced the company’s first production all-wheel-drive system?

The Chevrolet Astro introduced Chevrolet’s first production all-wheel-drive system.

Chevrolet added all-wheel drive to the Astro van for the 1990 model year. The system gave the rear-wheel-drive-based van improved traction in snow, rain, and on unpaved surfaces while preserving its role as a passenger or cargo vehicle.

The Astro was introduced for 1985 and shared its basic platform with the GMC Safari. It was smaller than full-size Chevrolet vans such as the Express, making it attractive to families and businesses that wanted a more maneuverable van. The all-wheel-drive version used a viscous-coupling system to distribute torque between the axles.

The Astro is sometimes confused with the Chevrolet Astrovan’s later nickname or with Chevrolet sport-utility vehicles such as the Blazer. Those vehicles had different body structures and histories. Chevrolet later expanded all-wheel-drive availability across cars, crossovers, and trucks, but the Astro was the early production milestone.