2016 New York motor show

The brand-new Maserati Levante SUV will stay true to the brand’s ethos, easily be its top-seller, and greatly broaden its audience to younger buyers and women, according to the company’s global head Harald Wester. Speaking to Australian media (including CarAdvice) at last week’s North American reveal of the Maserati Levante in New York, Wester passionately defended the move into SUVs, seemingly without much prompting. “SUV, it's just another body type for a car, no?” Wester asked.

Volvo made a statement quite some time ago that it was aiming for zero fatalities in its new vehicles by 2020. And the brand is on track to achieve that goal. That’s according to Volvo Cars Safety Centre acting senior director, Jan Ivarsson. In an exclusive interview at the 2016 New York motor show, the Swedish safety guru made it clear that the goal is achievable, and technology is how it can happen.

Recently a rumour surfaced recently that Mercedes-AMG was in the running to provide the engines for an expanded range of Alpine sports cars. It isn't true, according to Mercedes-AMG chief Tobias Moers. The premise was simple – the revived French brand, Alpine, which is under the control of Renault, would take advantage of an existing agreement between the French and German brands in order to get engines from over the border.

Mitsubishi will offer a trio of all-new or new-generation crossover SUVs before 2020, comprising a shrunken next ASX, a larger next Outlander and a brand new model sandwiched in between. Each will come in electric or plug-in hybrid guise as an option. The Japanese company recently outlined its SUV plans to its US dealer network, and they add clarity to what we first reported after discussing the plan with senior management at the Tokyo motor show last October.

Toyota and Hyundai have become direct rivals in the plug-in hybrid market, with today's New York motor show introduction of the Toyota Prius Prime and Hyundai Ioniq. Both companies hope to secure a larger share of the growing global segment, but what sets the two apart?