What comes to mind when you think of an ugly car? Maybe a Nissan Juke or a Chrysler PT Cruiser? Those aren’t necessarily pretty cars, but they have nothing on the Fiat Multipla.
The Fiat Multipla was introduced in 1998 and was even featured in the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art in New York. With that in mind, it may seem like a fancy one-off art project, or even a cruel joke, but the Multipla is actually a practical everyday car. It seats six people (in only two rows). Though, you likely won’t see one in America. It was sold in Europe and China.
Like the Chrysler PT Cruiser, the Multipla is no longer being built. It wasn’t an overwhelming success, and was often either loved or hated. Many families loved it for its practicality, but didn’t love their child getting teased at school because their parents owned a Multipla. The Multipla was designed by Roberto Giolito, an Italian. He is also responsible for the successful Fiat 500 and its later models. The Fiat 500, unlike the Multipla, is sold in the United States.
Unlike Ford or Chevy, you don’t see many Fiat automobiles driving around in the United States.
...Or do you? Fiat may appear to be a feisty little Italian automaker from the outside, but they own Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram… along with some more exclusive brands, like Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, and Maserati. (This kind of conglomerate isn’t unheard of: Volkswagen owns Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, and more).
Fiat is an acronym for “Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino” which means Italian Automobile Factory of Turin. The company got its start in 1899, before both Ford and Chevrolet were founded. Giovanni Agnelli founded Fiat; when he heard about horseless carriages, he knew he had to invest. Only nine years later, Fiat began producing and selling in the United States.
Fiat even produced the standard machine gun for Italian soldiers in WWI.
We may laugh at how the Fiat Multipla looks, or how some Fiat 500 models have trouble getting up hills, but that is just a small slice of the Fiat pie. I think it's safe to say that Giovanni Agnelli's investing skills paid off. I like to think he would be proud of Fiat today... even if he happened to catch a glimpse of the Multipla.
What do you think of the Fiat Multipla? Do you think it’s the ugliest car ...or do you have another contender?
References:
Clark, Jennifer. Mondo Agnelli: Fiat, Chrysler, and the Power of a Dynasty. Wiley. 2011. Print.
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AuthorLiberty White Archives
November 2017
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