A rust-dappled Hyundai for $3,000, a clapped-out Geo Metro for $5,000, and a censurable Ford Festiva for six grand? Welcome to upside-down world. The rising price of dinosaur champagne has already decimated the large-SUV business, and now the realities of gasoline economics are elevating what was once the lowliest segment of the used-car market into Croesus' territory.

In 2007, registrations of new hybrid vehicles jumped by 38 percent to 350,289 vehicles, according to a new report from R.L. Polk & Company. Gee, I wonder why? Maybe it's got something to do with rising prices at the pump, or climate change. Or maybe there's something bigger at play.

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Mainstream sedans are ready for their gas-electric acid test. When it hits dealerships this spring, the Honda Civic will be the first to get a hybrid powertrain.

The battery package in the Civic is 42 percent smaller than that of its hybrid sibling, the Insight, which means more room inside.

In our tests near Palm Springs, California, the 1.3-liter four-cylinder powered the car to 60 in a respectable 11 seconds. Expect fuel economy in the high 40s, 10 mpg better than ordinary Civics.

Price: $20,000.