It’s not just car drivers who are embracing new and interesting types of propulsion – it seems Santa is thinking of giving the reindeer a break this year and is looking for a new way to get around the world delivering presents. 

Together with the guys over at Auto Express, he has been pitching around the world’s car designers looking for ideas. Out favourites by far came from the Citroen styling studio, under the command of boss Pierre Leclercq.  

Designer Pierre Icard came up with a tank-tracked version of the new Ami, complete with a roof rack for the presents. However, the top speed has been boosted from the standard 28mph to 650 miles per second in order to meet the Christmas delivery deadlines.  Meanwhile, Armand Herve took a more radical direction and came up a Transformer-style robot which can fold down to become a car. It looks like it would be on many kids’ Christmas lists as a toy rather than Santa’s own transport. 

The winning design for Citroen came from Roman Egorov, who created a modern version of the iconic H-Van, which is the ‘French Transit’ and better known these days for being the favourite of trendy coffee vendors. The two-wheeled, twin-ski monster reboot of the original is designed to ensure even children in the most remote destinations get their presents, thanks to monster tyres and a big cargo area. 

It may have retro inspiration, but the front face uses the new brand logo and the 3-point light signatures. Santa will also enjoy the panoramic view through the windows, with a red tint to help if the sun comes up while he’s still working. You can hear more about the designs on the Electrifying.com podcast, where Roman chats through the TYPE SANTA sleigh with Ginny and Tom. Could it point to a future new van to rival the Volkswagen ID.Buzz?