Try to find a Prius. Go ahead, we dare ya! A few random calls to dealers around the country reveals that you won't locate many, if any, of the popular hybrids on Toyota's retail lots, not unless one is parked there waiting for a service bay. And while demand is a little lighter for some models, notably the full-size "two-mode" truck models that General Motors recently brought out, the fact is that hybrids are hot, and demand seems to go up with every added penny at the pump.

But as regular readers know, I'm a hybrid skeptic. Yes, if you can qualify for federal tax credits, get access to the commuter lanes, and such, there are some definite advantages. But when you do the calculations, it's hard to make a case for most of the current HEV models on the road. Even at $4.50 for a gallon of gas and even working in tax credits, you have to put a high value on their intangible "green-ness" to make a working business case.

One of the reasons why is that there are so many other vehicles on the road that match and, in some cases, exceed the fuel economy of similar-sized hybrids. A good example is the new Mercedes-Benz ML Blue-Tec, which, in several different real-world tests, routinely outperformed the Lexus RX 400h hybrid. It's significant to note that in the latest issue of Consumer Reports, only three HEVs made the list in terms of price-adjusted fuel efficient bargains. (Actually two. The list included two versions of the Prius and one of the Honda Civic Hybrid.)

Here are a few of our favorite fuel-efficient - non-hybrid - models:

Honda Fit and Fit Sport. The top two in the Consumer Reports study. Sure, they're small, and no, don't go challenging anyone at the stoplight, unless the other guy is behind the wheel of a Nissan Versa, but both versions of the Fit belie the old image of the stripped-down econobox.

Mercedes ML320 BlueTEC. (And the bigger GL version.) A recent drive through the countryside of Vermont demonstrated why Americans need to rethink their reluctance to embrace diesel. Occasionally, just occasionally, you might hear - but not feel - the clattering associated with classic diesels, but that's about it. They're smooth, quick, and clean, and they can nudge 30 mpg on the open road in real driving conditions.

On the small SUV side, we think the Ford Escape deserves another look, especially from those who think that a compact crossover has to carry a Japanese badge. Ford pulled off the seeming impossibility of boosting horsepower and mileage this year. Yes, there is a hybrid version, but even Ford officials say that by the time you trade it in, you'll probably have gotten a better deal on the I-4 Escape than the HEV.

Mini Cooper. The car that got Americans thinking "small is beautiful" has gotten still better in its latest iteration. Reasonably fuel efficient and surprisingly quick, it's just plain fun to drive. And if you need a bit more room for friends and cargo, check out the new Clubman model.

Mazda3 and Mazda5. Can you have zoom-zoom and good fuel economy, too? We've found the minivan-ish Mazda5 delivers both, along with plenty of passenger and cargo space. But if you want to boost mileage even more, consider the smaller of the two offerings. What amazed us, during a recent move, was the tremendous amount of cargo the smaller wagon could squeeze in - nearly as much as some compact SUVs.

Nissan Altima Coupe. Can you imagine? With the I-4 engine, this sporty-looking mid-size sedan will get you as much as 32 mpg on the highway and a still impressive 27 mpg in the city. No, not as much as the Altima sedan hybrid, but subtract the premium and you'll see which is the better deal.

OK, full disclosure: I am in love with the new Audi A4. And I am quite frustrated that once again, the German maker has decided to delay a hot new product's U.S. launch for a year while European motorists get first crack.

The redone A4, the all-new A5, the striking R8--there are plenty of reasons to be paying close attention to Audi, and that's exactly what's happening in much of the world. The latest sales numbers show the carmaker sold an impressive 426,200 cars and crossovers during the first five months of this year, an increase of 1.5 percent, which is no mean feat in today's climate.

"We are already ahead of schedule," declares Audi chairman Rupert Stadler, solidly on track to break the 1 million mark for all of 2008--the first time that would happen for Volkswagen AG's upmarket subsidiary. Though there are plenty of headwinds threatening to slow the auto industry down, Audi has the advantage of having an array of new products, such as the A4, ramping up to full production in the coming months.

The picture's a positive one virtually everywhere you look. Indeed, in many parts of Europe, the brand with the four rings is now outselling both Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Countering the generally downward trend among foreign brands, Audi continued gaining ground in Japan during the first five months of the year. In China, where the brand is celebrating its 20th anniversary, sales jumped 23.4 percent, through May, total volume topping 50,000.

Among the rare exceptions, the U.S. is the bad news bear, sales slipping nearly 3 percent, to just under 37,000. OK, blame the phase-out of the old A4, if you wish, but even if you were to adjust the numbers, the U.S. would still be lagging the smaller Chinese market, and not even keeping up with the U.K., where sales, so far, have nipped the 50,000 mark.

For any number of reasons, Audi has consistently failed to connect with U.S. motorists. The pat response is to blame the unintended acceleration brouhaha, but that's more than 20 years in the past, never mind it was effectively disproven. Even Infiniti is outpacing the German maker here in the States.

What do motorists elsewhere know? They clearly recognize Audi's reputation for design, especially interior styling, where it is generally considered the benchmark. Products like the R8 and S5 stand up in terms of performance, as well.

Perhaps, once it finally arrives here, the new A4 will finally connect with those American luxury buyers who aren't blindly loyal to the brands they see at the country club. Initial reviews suggest it's among the best entries ever in the compact segment. We'll tell you more when we spend more time behind the wheel.

Among the cars I am test-driving this week is a BMW M3 Coupe. It is, as you might expect, a joy to drive. But it is painful to refill, averaging barely 17 mpg and demanding nothing less than the choicest of premium gas.

OK, when you’re spending $53,800 on a high-performance two-door, I guess you can expect – and afford – to pay for high-octane. But I got a surprise this morning when I opened up my print edition of the Detroit Free Press and found a telling report by old friend Mark Phelan. Seems an unexpected number of today’s cars require premium fuel, many of them not in the same category of performance that might justify that requirement for the M3.

Who would expect Smart to recommend high-test for its little fortwo? The smallest car in the country requiring the highest octane? Yep. But so do the Mini Cooper and new Mini Cooper Clubman, at least if you follow factory recommendations.

Among mid-size sedans, the list of premium sippers includes the Volkswagen Passat, Nissan Maxima, and Nissan Altima V8.

BMWs, no surprise, often require the most expensive fuels. That may be fine on models like the big 750iL and the high-performance M-editions, but the little X3 Sport-Activity Vehicle? Acura also requires high-test for its compact RDX crossover. And I was disappointed to realize the Mazda CX-7 also should be fueled with premium, as are the Nissan Murano and Toyota FJ Cruiser. Considering the latter ute’s positioning as an affordable toy, young buyers may be in for a big surprise at the pump.

You may notice that there’s not a single American model in the above list, and indeed, the Big Three have made a valiant effort in recent years to switch to regular whenever possible. There are a few exceptions, such as the Cadillac CTSv and Ford’s Shelby Cobra, but even the hot Mustang Bullitt can run on regular.

Among import premium brands, however, like Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, and Audi, premium is the fuel of preference for most, though not all, models.

Premium fuel is often the only way to deliver the maximum performance out of today’s engines. Indeed, the average new powertrain delivers significantly more horsepower and torque per liter of displacement than comparable engines of generations past.

But there is some good news for those who take the time to carefully read their owner’s manual. While the products we’ve listed – and others – may be designed to run best on premium, many can operate on regular or mid-grade fuels, as well, thanks to their sophisticated computer control systems. You will almost certainly experience a decline in performance, however. Before you switch, make sure to check that manual, however. Running regular in an engine that can only handle premium could cause serious damage and void your warranty.

What began as little more than a technical curiosity has moved solidly into the mainstream. Toyota Motor Co. just sold its 1 millionth Prius, the world’s first mass-market hybrid-electric vehicle. Introduced in 1997 in Japan and two years later in the United States, the Prius is Toyota’s environmental flagship and easily the most recognizable “green machine” on the planet.

In its early days, Prius had little competition, initially only the Honda Insight, a teardrop-shaped two-seater that actually beat Toyota’s offering to the States, but never really charged up consumers. Today, Prius is being sold in more than 40 countries, and with gas prices surging to new records, almost by the day, it is also drawing a flood of new competitors. Toyota alone has added an assortment of gasoline-electric vehicles, including hybrid versions of the Camry sedan, and several of its Lexus luxury vehicles, such as the RX 400h crossover/SUV. By decade's end, Toyota hopes to be selling as many as 1 million hybrids annually, worldwide.

But manufacturers ranging from General Motors to Mercedes-Benz aren’t content to let the Japanese giant dominate the emerging hybrid segment. GM has been rolling out an assortment of its own hybrid offerings, ranging from so-called mild hybrids, or “mybrids,” like the Saturn Vue Green Line, to full-featured models, like the new Cadillac Escalade Hybrid. Ford Motor Co. was first in market with a gas-electric SUV, the Escape Hybrid. And Mercedes is working on several offerings of its own, possibly including a diesel-electric.

The big challenge is to take the technology to the next step – while also driving down costs. Diesel-electric systems could double the premium for hybrid technology. Advanced battery systems, notably new lithium-ion technology, could yield still better fuel economy, and GM is one of several manufacturers hoping to market a plug-in hybrid. Actually, the U.S. maker prefers the term “extended-range electric vehicle,” since its Chevrolet Volt will be able to run for up to 40 miles solely on battery power. But once it runs out of juice, Volt’s internal combustion engine will kick in, providing it the unlimited range of a gasoline-powered vehicle.

And as TheCarConnection reported several weeks ago, Nissan is now working on a pure electric vehicle that it hopes to launch in the U.S. in 2010, initially for fleet customers. Retail sales are set to begin in 2012.

But despite their ambitious plans, these manufacturers still have a lot of catching up to do. Prius was not only the first hybrid to hit market. It is now one of the most recognizable products in the automotive world, and that’s giving it a significant head start as Toyota aims to reach 2 million in sales.

Is Hyundai getting ready to unleash a wave of new luxury car products? The decision will likely depend on what happens once the automaker’s new Genesis sedan reaches the U.S. market in the coming months, various senior company officials revealed during a tour of Hyundai operations in South Korea this week.

The long-awaited Genesis sedan is already on sale in Hyundai’s home market, but the real measure of its success will be the response the company gets in the States, a market that currently accounts for more than a fifth of the automaker’s total global volume, suggested Vice Chairman Dong-Jin Kim.

“We put a lot of importance into Genesis and would like to see it succeed,” stressed the executive, during a wide-ranging conversation. “If we succeed with Genesis, we (will be) confident to introduce more products into the luxury market in the future.”

The initial Genesis sedan is a relatively conservative-looking vehicle, but one that plays to Hyundai’s traditional strengths: It will feature a high level of content, but carry a relatively low sticker price – starting somewhere just under $30,000 for the V-6 model – and carry the automaker’s 10-year warranty.

Early next year, a second version of the low-luxury model will launch, and it will be “much more expressive” in design, asserted S.G. Oh, Hyundai’s worldwide design director. Sightings of the Genesis Coupe, on Hyundai’s test track, confirm that the production version is essentially identical to the concept version displayed at this year’s New York Auto Show.

Oh, and several other Hyundai officials confirmed that a number of other luxury vehicles are in various stages of development. But what happens with those various models has not been completely determined yet, for at some levels, the Genesis project is still a concept in process.

At one point, Hyundai gave strong consideration to launching an entirely new luxury marque, much like Toyota’s Lexus brand and Nissan’s Infiniti. But the much-debated strategy was effectively sidelined by the consulting firm Hyundai hired. Its conclusion, said CEO and Vice Chairman Kim, was very negative.

“It would cost us too much money,” Kim said Hyundai realized, somewhere in the neighborhood of $2.5 billion for the retail network alone. That’s on top of the $500 million invested in the development of the first Genesis products, and to support a network would require a number of additional vehicles. “It would take 13 years to break even,” Kim added, “and 20 years to recover our losses.”

So at least for now, Genesis will be sold in the States through existing Hyundai dealers, though the automaker will reserve the possibility of spinning off the two new cars – and future models – into a Lexus-like sales channel sometime in the future.

As to initial sales goals, the Vice Chairman said he expects the U.S. to account for nearly 40 percent of the Genesis sedan’s first-year volume – the global target is 80,000, with the car going to not only the U.S. and Korea, but a number of emerging markets, like Saudi Arabia, China, and Russia. “The main market for the Coupe is the U.S.,” Dr. Kim added, and of a targeted 60,000 global sales, he is hoping to reach 25,000 in the States.

While the numbers are relatively modest, at least when compared to competitors like Lexus, Infiniti, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz, Genesis will play another role, emphasized Joel Ewanick, Hyundai’s senior U.S. marketing executive.

“We see Genesis as a way to sell all our cars and enhance the brand,” he explained. “It will help us sell Santa Fes, Sonatas, and Accents.”