Ford Motor (F) - Get Report showed off its new 2017 Escape in New York Thursday and projected another year of record sales for the SUV.

The Escape made its way to Manhattan after its official rollout at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

Joe Hinrichs, executive vice president and president of the Americas for Ford, said he expects the automaker will beat last year's sales of 306,000 Escapes in the U.S. But he stopped short of saying the Escape will surpass the top-selling Honda CR-V in the small SUV market.

"We'll see. They've had a strong year as well and we're all pretty much selling as many as we can make," said Hinrichs.

The Escape is Ford's best-selling sports utility vehicle, as a time when the overall SUV segment is on fire. Currently SUVs account for 34% of the U.S. auto industry's sales but are projected to account for 40% by the end of the decade.

Ironically, two very different buyers -- millennials and aging baby boomers -- both find the car appealing.

"Millennials are buying small SUVs at a rate of two to one over small cars." said Hinrichs. "They like the versatility and the space and cargo that comes with the vehicle." Hinrichs added that baby boomers find the smaller SUVs easier to get in and out of.

The new Escape is the first Ford vehicle to use what's known as SYNC Connect -- a feature that allows customers to communicate with their Escape using an app on their smartphones. Through the app, drivers can remotely lock their vehicles, start the engine and check fuel levels.

Other new features on the Escape include driver-assist technologies and new EcoBoost engines which use technology to shut off the engine while the car is stopped, so that no gas is used. According to Ford, the feature improves fuel economy by 4% to 6% in stop-and-go traffic.

The new Escape, which is made in Louisville, Kentucky, goes on sale in spring 2016.