Infiniti-designed Santa's sleigh (2010)

Today's sleighs are courtesy of Infiniti. The design team in Japan have sketched out a couple of Infiniti sledges for Father Christmas to deliver his presents across the globe in imperious style.

The first sleigh looks like an Essence supercar concept meets an FX crossover - from that long snout and high-mounted, wedgy headlamps to the complex, textured surfaces, sliced and diced by a laser-pointer's worth of sloping lines flying off at all sorts of angles.

Take a peek inside the first sleigh: the luxury interior sports white fur arranged on the cowltop - the designers say this reflects the Japanese craftsmanship they're emphasising on Infiniti's road cars.

Mind you, Father Christmas seems to have had a sex change and be dressed in a rather skimpy bikini. Perhaps Santa's helpers have snuck in and are driving the Infiniti sleigh while He's out back in the present cargo hold delivering a mix of wonderfully Japanese gifts.

Just near that wonderful kinked, would-be roof pillar, as seen on the Essence and promised on future production cars, you can see the Infiniti badge and the name of this new model: Rudolf II.

We especially enjoyed the front axle, which sees a rather serious-looking bladed ski mounted by a MacPherson strut and what looks like an aluminium lower wishbone - all the better to soak up those bumps on the way from Santa's Lapland HQ.

The second sledge from Infiniti's global design HQ in Japan has Santa mounted in what can only be described as the most cab-backwards design we've seen in a long time.

The Silver Express is a long sleigh, painted in Infiniti's trademark gunmetal silver contrasted with electric pink trim. Those huge in-wheel motors function as Santa's reindeer 'and pull the rear cabin by magnetic lines,' according to the designer. So this sleigh is zero emissions, unlike more traditional reindeers (so last century).

Father Christmas is wearing a matching pink suit, and has four steps to climb up into his cockpit. Note, again, that kinked side window pillar repeated on the fuselage just ahead of the cabin.

By Tim Pollard