scion drive shaft, driving shaft, propeller shaft, or Cardin shaft is a mechanical component for transmitting torque and rotation, usually used to connect other components of a  train that cannot be connected directly because of distance or the need to allow for relative movement between them. shafts are carriers of torque: they are subject to torsion and shear stress, equivalent to the difference between the input torque and the load. They must therefore be strong enough to bear the stress, whilst avoiding too much additional weight as that would in turn increase their inertia

Most of these vehicles have a clutch and gearbox (or transmission) mounted directly on the engine with a  shaft leading to a final drive in the rear axle. When the vehicle is stationary, the drive shaft does not rotate. A few, mostly sports, cars seeking improved weight balance between front and rear, and most commonly Alfa Romeos or Porsche 924s, have instead used a rear-mounted transaxle. This places the clutch and transmission at the rear of the car and the drive shaft between them and the engine. In this case the drive shaft rotates continuously as long as the engine does, even when the car is stationary and out of gear.Early automobiles often used chain drive or belt drive mechanisms rather than a drive shaft. Some used electrical generators and motors to transmit power to the wheels.

• 1-piece drive shaft
• 2-piece drive shaft
• Slip-in-tube drive shaft

The slip-in-tube drive shaft is a new type that also helps in crash energy management. It can be compressed in the event of a crash, so is also known as a collapsible drive shaft.These evolved from the front-engine rear-wheel drive layout. A new form of transmission called the "transfer box" was placed between transmission and final drives in both axles. This split the drive to the two axles and may also have included reduction gears, a dog clutch or differential. At least two drive shafts were used, one from the transfer box to each axle. In some larger vehicles, the transfer box was centrally mounted and was itself driven by a short drive shaft.