INTRODUCTION

Fiat Auto's remarkable Multipla six seater MPV goes on sale shortly in the UK, following a proud tradition maintained by the Company over 100 years.

Fiat has an unrivalled history of producing groundbreaking and innovative vehicles, especially those which maximise internal space for their occupants. Starting with the 1930s 'Topolino', the list includes the Fiat Cinquecento, the original Multipla of 1956, the 127, Panda, Uno, Bravo/Brava and new Punto.

The design brief of the new Multipla posed an interesting challenge to Fiat's designers and engineers: how to bring affordable, spacious and versatile motoring to middle income families - and to do it properly, without compromising important criteria.

Specifically, the design brief was for an MPV no more than 4 metres long (less than a Fiat Bravo) with the following capabilities:

• To carry six people and all their luggage
• To be roomy and comfortable
• To be versatile and practical
• To handle like a saloon
• To perform like a saloon
• To deliver the economy of a mid-range saloon
• To develop a vehicle close to a segment 'C' and 'D' car in size

The spaceframe
In order to produce the sort of radical vehicle that would fulfil customer demands of a mid-range MPV, Fiat's designers started from scratch, introducing a brand new method of car construction: The spaceframe concept. This was central to the viability of the Multipla and has proved to be such a success that it is destined to play a major role in the production of future Fiat cars.

Instead of the conventional bodyshell that's pressed from a single piece of steel, the spaceframe is a 'latticework' of steel sections, which are linked so as to form the skeleton of the car. The sheet metal that comprises the bodywork - which can be of varying thicknesses - is then welded to this 'skeleton'.

The benefits are numerous:

• lower manufacturing costs
• greater flexibility when producing derivatives (and consequent reduced investment costs)
• the possibility of switching production on line very quickly
• less wasted sheet metal (and further reduced costs)
• the ability to use high strength steel with fewer shaping problems, thus reducing the weight of the vehicle, improving its performance, making it safer and enhancing drivability

A radical cabin rethink
Without question, the biggest problem facing Fiat Auto designers was how to fit six adults comfortably into an MPV less than 12 ft long, plus all their luggage. By way of comparison, a Fiat Ulysse is 14 ft. 7" long!

Other manufacturers have side-stepped the issue by installing rear seats that are only suitable for children, or by providing negligible luggage space, or by restricting the seating to five individuals. This is only to be expected, since their offerings are really only bigger-bodied versions of existing five-door hatchbacks. Fiat's response, however, was to face the issue head on and completely rethink the MPV's interior design. Radical solutions include:

• Two rows of three seats
• A wide body (Multipla is 2" wider than Ulysse)
• A high roof (Multipla is 8" taller than a conventional saloon)
• Vertical sides
• No tapering of the body
• A flat floorpan, freeing the interior from intrusions and making loading easier

The Twin Module approach
To maximise the space available inside Multipla, its designers adopted the Twin Module approach.

Twin Module means there are two separate 'levels' to the vehicle - a lower, streamlined level, and an upper one which is unusually tall and voluminous. They appear to be laid one upon the other, thus avoiding the inevitable waste of space that occurs when the windscreen and bonnet are designed to join on the same plane. The Twin Module approach also accounts for Multipla's unusual and striking exterior styling that makes it quite unlike any other car on the roads today.

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