Crossovers and hybrids will be big in the Big Apple as automakers showcase their latest offerings at the New York International Auto Show. Running April 14 through April 23, the New York Show brings back many models previously seen at Detroit's North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) and will showcase several new vehicles.

"The key themes will be crossovers and hybrids," said Stephen Murray, manager, Competing Product Plans for Ford. "Along with products like the Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX, we'll see competitor crossovers like the Saturn Outlook, Acura MDX and GMC Acadia. More automakers are jumping into the hybrid market, like Lexus with it's LS and Nissan with a hybrid Altima."

The crossover surge is hardly surprising. According to George Pipas, manager Sales Analysis, crossovers are expected to outsell SUVs for the first time this year.

"The growth rate for CUVs has been phenomenal when you consider they started from ground zero in 1995," Pipas said. "We expect sales for this category to continue for some time."

Ford jumped on the trend early with the Freestyle and continues this year with the 2007 Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX and Mazda CX-7 five-passenger CUVs previewed at NAIAS in January and on display at the New York show.

New York will also see the debut of the seven-passenger Mazda CX-9. While the vehicles are stable mates, the CX-9 is not simply a longer version of the CX-7. The vehicle incorporates an all-new platform architecture with unibody construction, an all-new 3.5-liter V6 engine and a new six-speed Sport AT automatic transmission.

Ford's competitors, however, are not standing still. General Motors announced plans to introduce seven new CUVs by the end of the year.

One of those GM vehicles is the Saturn Outlook, premiering at New York. The latest in GM's efforts to revitalize its Saturn line, the Outlook is slated as a 2007 model and will be the first large crossover to use GM's new Lambda platform. It seats seven in three rows which puts it above the current Saturn VUE in the brand's lineup and features a 250 hp 3.6L V-6 engine.

Ford is also paying attention to more traditional customers at New York with the introduction of the new F-150 FX2. The FX2 will be a stylish sport truck with unique exterior and interior design elements, differentiating the vehicle from the standard F-150. The FX2 is aimed at customers wanting a more stylish appearance and who do not need four wheel drive.

"FX is our designation for specialty models that feature unique appearance upgrades and in some cases hardware changes," said Raj Sarkar, F-150 assistant marketing manager. "The FX2 builds on our constant offering of unique models as part of having the most truck configurations in the business."

An aggressive front end with a dark billet grille, clear headlamps with platinum bezels, and deep front valence, highlight a custom monochromatic look The interior offers Black Captains Chairs with red stitching in cloth (with red inserts) or leather and a flow-through center console with floor shifter, among other features.

From Ford's point of view, one of the more interesting vehicles debuting at New York might be the 2007 Nissan Altima. The redesigned Altima falls into the same segment as the Fusion, Zephyr and Milan and Nissan plans to add a hybrid model, joining hybrid sedans from Toyota and Honda and the forthcoming hybrid models of the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan.

Reminding show patrons of Ford's pioneering hybrid vehicles, the company will display an Escape Hybrid taxi. On duty around the streets of New York and San Francisco since last year, the Escape Hybrid taxis have been a showcase for one of the technology's strongest attributes – the ability to save on fuel in urban stop and go traffic, not to mention their durability.

Further showcasing Ford's alternate fuel technologies will be a repeat showing of the Super Chief concept truck, featuring its unique tri-fuel engine capable of running on hydrogen, ethanol or gasoline and the Reflex concept with a diesel-hybrid engine.

Lincoln will display part of the sedan's future with the 2007 Lincoln MKZ (the reborn Zephyr) and the Lincoln MKS sedan teaser first seen in Detroit. At the opposite end of the spectrum, the 2007 Lincoln Navigator rounds out Lincoln's offerings.

About as far removed from taxis and trucks as its possible to get is the 2007 Jaguar XK. The Jaguar in its coupe and convertible versions will be on display in New York, demonstrating Jaguar's elegant new design along with the innovative all-aluminum construction.

Also on hand will be Land Rover's exciting Land_e concept, which showcases a suite of technical innovations for fuel efficiency and CO2 reduction collectively known as Land Rover's e-Terrain Technology Concept. Together, the technologies contribute to a potential 30 percent improvement in fuel economy over a current vehicle of similar size and performance.

The NY show also marks the global launch of the new SI6 engine in the Volvo XC90 and the North American debut of the Volvo S80.