Fiat draws on Multipla for compact SUV due in 2027

Fiat’s forthcoming Panda-based SUV could prove a modern Multipla when it arrives in 2027. Only without the dare-to-be-different looks.

The new SUV is one of two models that the Italian is set to launch in the next two years, alongside a raised hatchback. They were previewed by Panda-inspired SUV and Fastback concepts unveiled last year.

Both will be under 4.5 metres long and sit on the same Stellantis Smart Car platform as the smaller Grande Panda. The pair will therefore be offered with electric and hybrid powertrains.

Fiat has hinted that it won’t take the Panda name, despite using its mechanicals. The firm is normally associated with city cars. A move to the Golf-sized segment “will be a challenge, because we don’t have the same legacy with family movers as we do with 500 and Panda. But we do with the Multipla” said Fiat Europe boss, Gaetano Thorel.

Then Fiat will have a reasonably full passenger car line-up, ranging from 2.5 to 4.4m. 

The Multipla was a 4m compact MPV with two rows of three seats. Its styling was divisive and the model was not a commercial success. However, it won praise for its quirky design.

The new model will have a more traditional SUV appearance but will maximise space in a small footprint. It will share its platform with Citroën C3 Aircross that can seat seven. 

The Fastback concept will likely become a crossover that will serve as a spiritual successor to the Tipo.

Fiat design boss, François Leboine, said future models would use design cues from the Grande Panda and elsewhere. But he insisted the brand won’t fixate on retro designs.

“There is a retro flair on the products, but if you don’t know the past, the products still have to work…for a new generation.”