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Ford B-Max concept (2011) at 2011 Geneva motor show

If ever a concept car was just a thinly disguised production car, this is it – this is the Ford B-Max, just unveiled on the eve of the 2011 Geneva motor show. That’s right, and when the B-Max goes on sale in early 2012 it’ll finally be time to bid goodbye to the bland Fusion. On the outside the styling is the latest iteration of Ford’s ‘kinetic design’ DNA, and mixes S-Max, C-Max, Focus and Fiesta elements to create a decent looking little MPV.

Rated: self-braking cars that avoid a crash

The most recent advance in vehicle safety has to be the autonomous emergency braking system (AEB) – a sophisticated suite of sensors and electronics that monitors objects in front of your car, automatically applying the brakes for you if it senses you’re heading to hit something. Up until now these auto-brake features have not been rated, but ahead of a new 2014 test that will include AEB systems in its overall safety star scoring, Euro NCAP has put the some of the vehicles already equipped with this technology through their paces. MSN Cars has the results.

2014 model year on-sale dates

Anyone shopping for a new car will likely be curious about when the latest models will be available. Always the good samaritans, we scoured our auto-show coverage for details regarding 2014 model-year availability. We don't know exact dates down to month and day, but the estimates below provide a fair picture of when these cars will roll onto dealer lots.