Mercedes — like a lot of other folks — believes oil is going to run out eventually. But instead of waiting until the “Low on Oil” light comes on, the brand behind the three-pointed-star has set a goal to convert its entire fleet to run on alternative fuels by 2015. That’s seven years to get off the drink we’ve all been addicted to for well over a century.

In the pipeline first are fuel-efficient technologies such as Stop/Start on the marque’s next A- and B-Class models sold in Europe. Then come the BlueEfficiency vehicles with Mercedes’ supremely parsimonious diesel engines, and eventually the Diesotto first shown in the F700.

And then come the real showstoppers: ethanol, electric, and fuel cell vehicles. There are electric smarts running trials in London right now, and the F600 Hygenius is expected to eventually spawn some sort of production variant. On the face of it, seven years to go diesel- and gas-optional for an entire fleet is somewhat hard to fathom — but the prediction is coming from a company not previously known for wild daring. Even if they just get close to success, in only seven years, they might prove a nearby rival wrong about what’s doable under the new CAFE laws.

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Marketing company JWT recently proclaimed that blue would be taking over from green as the new color for the environmental crowd to get behind. Naming trends seem to support this theory, with BlueTec and BlueMotion both highlighting clean diesel technology. Now, DuPont is reporting that the color blue is gaining ground on white, which is currently the most popular shade to order a new car in. One reason that the hue is gaining in popularity is that people reportedly equate the tone with the earth. Yeah, the sky and the ocean are blue, but let’s not forget the green grass and trees that make up much of the landscape.

In any case, light shades of blue are proving to be popular choices for the clean appearance that the color adds to whatever vehicle it is applied to. According to Nancy Lockhart, DuPont color designer for North America, “Royal blues will give way to lighter, cleaner and more water-like blues.” If this keeps up, we may need to change our name from AutoblogGreen to AutoblogBlue. All right, maybe not.

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