Mercedes - leading the way

So, I'm seeing stories that Mercedes has announced that they will stop production of petroleum based vehicles by 2015. I haven't been able to find the actual press release and I'm not sure if "petroleum based vehicles" includes diesel or not (I assume it does not, but they seem pretty heavily invested in their diesel engines). But, whether it includes diesel or not, this is a great move and a fairly emphatic indication of the state of oil, it's done. And unless they change their ways this is the death knell for American auto makers. The Japanese already have a 10-15 year head start on hybrids and now the Europeans will leapfrog the hybrids to non-gas based cars, leaving the Americans two steps behind.