Fiat wants to bring back the practicality of MPVs with a new family-oriented model built around passenger space and everyday cargo needs. Arnaud Belloni discussed the idea with Caradisiac at the Paris Motor Show, explaining that he misses the flexibility those vehicles offered compared with SUVs. The Multiplay concept explores that direction, although it does not yet preview a specific production model.
Fiat could revive the Multipla spirit with a more practical alternative to SUVs
French media reports place a possible new vehicle between 2029 and 2030 and also point to a parallel project under the Citroën brand. These reports still need official confirmation, but they describe growing interest in a car that keeps the raised seating position customers expect while giving families more freedom to organize passengers, luggage and other items. Fiat has not ruled out reviving the Multipla name either.
Belloni summed up his view by saying that the shift toward SUVs came at the expense of many advantages once offered by MPVs. In Fiat’s history, the 1998 Multipla provides a clear reference point, with six seats arranged across two rows inside a body shorter than four meters. Its styling divided opinion, but the cabin layout allowed six people to travel while keeping the vehicle’s exterior dimensions compact.
The Multiplay shown in Paris starts from the idea of adapting the car to different uses through a body measuring 4.45 meters long. In family configuration, it carries six people and adds the Petsenger seat, a module that can work as a small table, storage area or dedicated space for pets. Fiat also says owners could use it as an anchoring point for a child seat.
The Metamorfosi system changes the rear section by sliding a module along dedicated rails until it creates an open cargo bed. During the transformation, the vehicle switches from a family configuration to a four-seat pickup layout, creating space for bicycles, sports equipment or bulky objects. The rear spoiler can also rotate and turn into a bike rack capable of carrying two bicycles.
Fiat presents these solutions as experiments that could inspire future products. The family model Belloni described could therefore borrow the concept’s focus on modularity while using a body and components better suited to large-scale production. For now, the transformable mechanism remains part of the concept and separate from reports about a future market launch.
The Multiplina follows a different path despite also drawing inspiration from the Multipla name. It is a four-seat electric quadricycle designed for urban use and inspired by the 1956 Fiat 600 Multipla, placing it in a very different size category from the larger family vehicle envisioned by Belloni.