New York, US - 28 March 2018

1. Various of new Toyota RAV4 onstage, exterior and interior

2. Setup shot of Jack Hollis, Toyota Division Vice President and General Manager, speaking onstage

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Jack Hollis, Toyota Division Vice President and General Manager:

"RAV4 XXEHV is now the quickest across all RAV4 four models. Yes, that's right, the quickest RAV4 is a hybrid. It's sporty, has more power, and by the way, as you would expect - anticipated class-leading MPG."

4. Wide of new Toyota Corolla on stage

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Jack Hollis, Toyota Division Vice President and General Manager:

"So, Corolla hatchback is now lower, wider, longer, which means together with its all-new four-cylinder, two-litre, dynamic shift, CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission), and updated suspension, this Corolla has more than a pinch of sports car soul. Sporty Corollas? Yeah, we know a thing or two about them, we also know about feel, that's why hatchback still has a six-speed manual transmission."

6. Various of new Toyota Corolla, exterior and interior

7. Various of new Nissan Altima being unveiled onstage

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Denis Le Vot, Nissan North America Chairman:

"Altima's V6 engine has been replaced with the world's first production VC Turbo four cylinder. This engine generates the performance of a V6 with the fuel economy of a four-cylinder engine. It also adapts on-demand to deliver thrilling horsepower or to run with extreme efficiency. Industry engineers have been working on this technology for decades. Nissan is proud to be the first to deliver it."

9. Various of Nissan Altima, exterior and interior

10. Mid of new Lincoln Aviator being unveiled onstage

11. Various of new Lincoln Aviator, exterior and interior shots

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Joy Falotico, Chief Marketing Officer, Lincoln Motor Company:

"What could be more welcoming than never having to use your key fob? Because now your smartphone is your key. Lincoln's phone is a key technology allows you to unlock, open the trunk, start and drive your Aviator, without a bulky fob in your pocket or purse."

13. Mid of new Lincoln Aviator onstage

LEAD IN:

SUVs are capturing the headlines at this year's New York International Auto Show (NYIAS).

Automakers are shoring up gaps in their SUV line-ups and revamping models that are already popular in the hottest-selling segment of the U.S. market.

STORY-LINE:

SUVs hit a record 43 percent of U.S. sales last year at just over 7.3 million, according to Kelley Blue Book.

Leading the way is Toyota with an all-new RAV4 compact SUV, which last year was the most popular vehicle in the U.S. that isn't a truck.

Toyota sold almost 408,000 RAV4 compact SUVs last year, making it the new American family car and the top-selling vehicle in the nation, aside from Detroit's popular big pickups.

In an effort to stay on top, Toyota is revamping the RAV for the 2019 model year.

Jack Hollis, Toyota Division Vice President and General Manager, is particularly excited about the hybrid version.

"RAV4 XXEHV is now the quickest across all RAV4 four models. Yes, that's right, the quickest RAV4 is a hybrid," he says.

Toyota is also rolling out a new, six-speed manual Corolla hatchback.

"Sporty Corollas?" says Hollis.

"Yeah, we know a thing or two about them, we also know about feel, that's why hatchback still has a six-speed manual transmission."

Nissan is introducing this redesigned Altima midsize sedan.

"Altima's V6 engine has been replaced with the world's first production VC Turbo four cylinder," says Nissan North America chairman Denis Le Vot.

"This engine generates the performance of a V6 with the fuel economy of a four-cylinder engine."

Lincoln's new midsize SUV, the Aviator, lets drivers ditch their key and instead drive it with a smartphone app.

"What could be more welcoming than never having to use your key fob? Because now your smartphone is your key," says Joy Falotico, chief marketing officer at Lincoln Motor Company.

The Aviator is an Explorer-like midsize SUV with three rows of seats to compete in the hot luxury SUV market.

Few details were given, except that it will have a twin-turbo engine of undisclosed size as well as a plug-in hybrid option.

It's set to go on sale sometime next year. The price wasn't disclosed.

The New York International Auto Show (NYIAS) opens to the public 30 March - 8 April 2018. Press days are on 28 and 29 March.

There are also new SUVs coming from Subaru, Volkswagen, Acura and Cadillac.