Car Companies Consolidating Brands

I guess it was just a matter of time before the car companies were forced to consolidate brands. It started with the demise of oldsmobile, then Pontiac and Hummer. Now it looks like Ford will follow GM's lead and say goodbye to Mercury.

Is it the fact that the new generation of car buyers despise companies that their parents supported? Or is it that these same companies were too slow to react to changing times? I think that the price of cars are out of control! Who wants to spend 40, 50, or even 60 grand on a piece of machinery that takes them to work? Yea, it is nice to go in style, but enough is enouph.

I believe it is time to work hard on a solution to our dependance on oil. The gulf is paying the price to our love of producing oil and it looks to have no clear solution in sight. Let me know what you think the problem is?