As chance would have it, the same week the costly new vehicle concept was revealed, the Navy Department was moving to cancel a Marine amphibious vehicle that cost a similar amount, mainly because the price-tag was too high.

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According to one industry insider, the real amount of time available when other features of the solicitation are factored in is 18 months, which is a lot less time than General Motors would spend on developing a new vehicle concept like the Volt.

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One welcome addition to Ford's lineup is a full-sized, seven-passenger crossover vehicle based on the new Ford Fairlane concept, a boxy amalgam of a sport utility vehicle and a minivan that was popular at recent auto shows.

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And when it does so, Facebook advertising is only part of a broad integration with free Facebook content around vehicle launches, such as its debut of a Pathfinder SUV concept vehicle at the Detroit auto show in January and the unveiling of the 2013 Altima sedan at the New York International Auto Show in March.

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