Fiat Might Actually Build Its Wild Crossover Minivan Pickup
Fiat
The Fiat Multiplay was one of the highlights of the 2026 Paris Motor Show, as you don’t often come across a futuristic minivan borrowing features from SUVs and pickups. While the concept was initially described as a “laboratory of solutions” rather than a preview of a future production model, it seems it could be heading to the Fiat dealerships before the end of the decade, in a quest to reinvent a segment.
Fiat CEO, Arnaud Belloni, spoke to media about the family-friendly concept, describing it as “absolutely meaningful” for the company. As reported by Autocar he said: “I’m absolutely convinced we need a family car in the range. The only name that resonated worldwide, or Europe-wide, at least, in family cars for Fiat was Multipla.”
The 1998 Fiat Multipla is known for its polarizing styling and its ingenious packaging squeezing a two-row six-seater layout on a 3.5 m (137.8 in) long vehicle. The model adopted more conventional looks in 2004, and in 2010, it was discontinued without a successor.
Belloni confessed that his family has twins, so he loved minivans. When he bought an SUV “like everyone else,” he thought it was cool but eventually got “very disappointed with life on board.” Now he is “convinced” there is room in the market for both SUVs and minivans, with the latter being included in his priority list. Still, in order to make it more appealing to buyers, the model will be “based on SUV ideas.”
Innovation for the post-SUV era
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The Multiplay concept measures 4.45-meter-long (175.2 in) and has a modular three-row six-seater interior with an extra seat for pets. More importantly, the rear portion of the roof slides forwards together with the third row of seats, transforming the SUV-like minivan to a dual-cab four-seater pickup with a split tailgate.
While we don’t know whether the transformative nature of the concept will make it into the production version, Belloni thinks that such a model could give Fiat a unique proposal in the segment, helping it stand out in the eyes of prospective customers. In the same context, Fiat’s Head of Design, François Leboine, said that the Multiplay could be “on the side of the market, not purely facing the competition.” The goal of the design team was to “find the next big thing” for the post-SUV era, as people’s needs have evolved over the past decades.
Can Stellantis really make it happen?
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Ultimately, a production version of the Multiplay concept depends on customer feedback. Fiat’s design boss is worried that “as soon as you arrive with innovation and newness, the market may not be ready yet.” That’s what many people think happened to the Multipla in the late ’90s, although others blame its demise to styling. Leboine explained that the Multiplay project would only be feasible if the team can reuse existing components from the Stellantis parts bin. That could help keep its price low, although it would inevitably result in some compromises.
Reading between the lines, a production version could share its multi-energy underpinnings with the Fiat Grizzly and Grizzly Fastback SUVs, alongside many components for the significantly toned-down interior. It remains to be seen whether one of the compromises will be the omission of the rear bed. This would effectively turn it into a minivan-inspired crossover, which doesn’t sound trendsetting. In any case, Leboine admitted that a production Multiplay is “at least two to three years” away and that’s only if Fiat moves fast.
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Source: www.carscoops.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.