Fiat presented the Multiplay concept on the eve of the Paris Motor Show. The 4.45-meter-long car combines the space of a minivan, the character of an SUV and the functionality of a pickup, but it has not been announced as a direct preview of a specific production model. The brand defines it as a laboratory for ideas for future cars.
The main feature is the “Metamorfosi“ architecture. The rear module slides on special guides and changes the configuration of the car. In its family version, the Multiplay offers six seats plus an additional module, and after transformation it remains four-seater and receives an open cargo platform.
From family car to pickup
The platform is designed for bicycles, sports equipment and bulky items. Fiat has not specified its dimensions or load capacity. The rear spoiler also has a dual function — rotates and becomes an integrated rack for up to two bicycles.
The modular “Petsenger“ seat is placed in the passenger compartment. It can serve as a place for a child seat, space for a pet, a small table or a storage compartment. Part of the cushion can be separated and used as a leash, and one of the doors has a place for a folding bowl.
Fiat has also paid attention to the third row. The rear area is designed for up to two children, but if necessary it can also accommodate an adult. The front passenger seat “Sunseat“ rotates back when the car is stopped and uses the dashboard as a backrest, turning into a lounger under the panoramic roof.
The name brings back the memory of Multipla
Multiplay continues the idea of maximum interior space with compact exterior dimensions. Fiat is referencing the 1956 600 Multipla, which seats six people in a car measuring around 3.5 metres long, and the 1998 Multipla, which offered six seats in two rows and was under four metres long.
The exterior colour is inspired by the rind of a watermelon, while the red and pink accents in the interior recall its interior. Some of the soft materials are made of textile using a seamless 3D knit, which Fiat says reduces waste and allows for the creation of adaptive surfaces. There is also a hidden display in the dashboard that disappears from view when the car is switched off.
“Multiplay expresses a quality that we want to carry into the next chapter of Fiat: the ability of a car to be useful in everyday life“, said Arnaud Belloni, CEO of Fiat, Abarth and Lancia and Chief Marketing Officer of Stellantis for Europe. According to him, the concept explores solutions that change with the needs of families.
Fiat has not announced a powertrain, battery capacity, power, dynamic performance or other technical characteristics. For now, the Multiplay remains a design and engineering experiment through which the brand checks whether a car can fulfill the role of family transport, SUV and light pickup.
Sources: motor1.com, quattroruote.it