Fiat's Multiplay Concept Reworks the Multipla as a Pick-Up SUV Hybrid

Fiat has taken one of its most polarizing models and pointed it somewhere new. The Multiplay concept reimagines the bubble-shaped 1998 Multipla, which split opinion when it arrived, as a hybrid of pick-up and SUV. Fiat positions it first as a leisure vehicle that can still handle the weekday jobs of a household with only one car. The underlying argument is that a multi-purpose vehicle doesn't have to remain a people mover, and that buyers who are drifting toward boxy 4x4s might want something more flexible.

The family resemblance is loose but deliberate. The rounded, bubble-style cabin sits on top of more aggressively sculpted flanks. The lighting takes its cue from the lights of Fiat's historic Lingotto factory at night. Unpainted wheel arches, sills and bumpers, along with chunky all-terrain tyres, signal that the car is meant to go off the tarmac.

The headline trick is the conversion. At the press of a button, the rear side windows drop and the section behind the C-pillar slides up to join the main roof panel. The rear seats slide forward to meet the second row, and the parcel shelf folds into the rear window to clear the load area. The rear spoiler flips over to expose attachment points for accessories such as a bike rack or for tying down loose cargo. The tailgate splits horizontally and swings outward, rather than dropping like a conventional pick-up's.

Inside, the concept keeps the original's six-seat idea, although the car shown at the Paris motor show only seats four. A large screen runs the full width of the dashboard just below the windscreen, replacing the usual lower-mounted infotainment touchscreen. Fiat may be using the layout to preview how future models will handle their instrument panels.

Fiat has not said whether the Multiplay will reach production in anything like this form. Even so, car-based pick-ups are central to the company's global strategy. The Strada was Brazil's best-selling car for a fifth straight year in 2025, a clear sign of how much demand exists for the format in one of Fiat's key markets.