At the entrance of Toyota's showcase at the 2007 Chicago Auto Show, an eight-foot-tall display stands covered in vivid graphics emblazoned with the question: "What's your reason?"

This inquiry is in regards to the many motives people have for choosing to drive a waiting-list-only Prius or Toyota's other two hybrid vehicles. The sign includes more than 30 responses, ranging from the humanitarian ("helps change the world") to the superficial ("because celebrities drive it"). With the sign, Toyota inadvertenty identifies the critical issue surrounding hybrid/electric vehicles in America: how do automakers package and promote practicality in a sexy way that appeals to the visual sensibilities of the average motorist?

Until now, alternative energy vehicles have been marketed on their function but never on their form. They are the sensible shoes--the ones that feel great to wear and offer wonderful benefits but look completely boring or worse, sci-fi cheesy. Since electric cars are still a ways off from beating the performance of gas-fueled vehicles, the next generation of modest resource-savers need to at least look fast. With all the marketing dollars spent on showcasing the muscle of the Hummer or the performance of the Corvette, automakers need to step up their design game and get adventurous with the styling and sex appeal of their alternative-fuel offerings. Only then will these vehicles become popular with middle America and actually have a chance at becoming the default choice instead of a novelty.

I won't bore you with all the technical specs, but a few visionary automakers have begun enlivening the sustainability stage with sex appeal--mixing radical styling with resource-saving technologies. I know these concept cars may be decades from rolling off the assembly line, but they're a flashy step in the right direction. Here were my favorites:

Chevy Volt

Volvo 3CC

Toyota FT-HS

Ford Airstream and Edge HySeries

For those who want sex appeal, alternative energy and performance, there's the 100 percent electric Tesla Roadster, starting at $92,000 and available now.

Full disclosure: Worldchanging Chicago's advance look at the Chicago Auto Show was sponsored by GM and their blogger relations team.

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