PIZZA DELIVERY DESIGN IS HOT

Domino's Pizza has launched a design contest aimed at creating the perfect pizza delivery vehicle. The pizza giant's logic is that commercial vehicles like fire engines, ambulances and tow trucks are usually, expressly designed for their purpose, but pizzas are delivered in normal cars or vans.

The competition's design brief says the Ultimate Delivery Vehicle (UDV) should, "Revolutionize pizza delivery forever in the United States." It calls for a custom, new from the ground up, vehicle that improves efficiency, is exciting to drive, and transports pizzas (and cold drinks) so their temperature and appearance are maintained.

As well, the UDV should be a "rolling billboard" for the company and "instill a sense of confidence with customers that their pizza is safe on board and will always be delivered like it just came out of the oven."

To be run in five stages, concluding in February 2013, the competition offers $50,000 in prizes (but unfortunately, is only open to US citizens).

Domino's says in the United States alone, it delivered 400 million pizzas last year, and its domestic delivery drivers covered 16 million kilometres (the equivalent of 41 trips to the moon) every week.