TIMES are desperately hard for Fiat right now, with massive deficits and sales that continue to fall despite fierce price-cutting.
The company continues to introduce new models, improve existing ones, and reduce prices even further, but nothing seems to work.
Last year Fiat's UK sales plummeted by 15 per cent, which is a loss of 15,000 customers, and last month sales were down by a further 25 per cent.
Even a departure from traditional designs and a brave foray into the world of adventurous new vehicle concepts has had little effect, as is illustrated by the odd-looking Multipla.
This was one of the latest vehicles to get the Fiat emergency treatment, with prices down, and equipment levels up.
When the Multipla first arrived three years ago it cost from £13,380. Now it costs from £12,995 on the road, and includes an extra £200 worth of additional equipment.
On the entry-level petrol-engined SX version that amounts to remote central locking and alarm, twin smart front air bags, rear disc brakes upgrade, new interior trim, one-touch closing function for the driver's window, and Isofix child seat mountings in the rear.
The ELX versions get additionally side air bags, body-coloured bumpers, remote control hatchback lock, lumbar support for the driver, tinted glass, and a new design of alloy wheels.
Unlike anything else on the road, the Multipla is a six-seater, which has very distinct advantages and disadvantages.
Its seven-foot width enables it to carry its occupants in cosy fashion, side by side in two rows of three. That is two people seated to the left of the driver, and three behind.
This is not only intimate, but comfortable too, and there is plenty of luggage space behind the second row of seats, all the way up to the high roof.
If six seats are not needed, the second row can be folded flat to increase luggage space, or they can be converted into tables, or even removed altogether. The centre seat in the front can folded to create a table, or it can be replaced by a fridge, and there are other permutations too numerous to mention.
There is a choice of Fiat's 1.6-litre petrol engine, or the 1.9-litre turbo diesel, which has been increased from 110bhp to 115bhp. This increase in power means that the vehicle is more sprightly, without any increase in fuel consumption or CO2 emissions.
Fiat reckons that although many families need six seats, very few need seven, which negates the need for a full-blown people-carrier.
The first thing to decide with the Multipla is whether or not you like its looks, or at least if you could grow to like them. Working on the assumption that you could, there is then the width to consider. This is an unusually wide vehicle, which will put some people off because it is more difficult to manoeuvre than narrower rivals.
The alternative is to choose a vehicle with a conventional seating arrangement, which means a longer vehicle instead, which then creates a problem of extra length rather than width.
You can't have it both ways, but most drivers whose forte is not parking, appear to find width rather than length more daunting.
Another word of warning is that for anyone who intends to make full use of the vehicle's generous seating capacity, the 1.6-litre petrol version is ultimately under-powered. The diesel model now costs £1,100 more, but for those who can afford it, there are dividends.
The extra torque, or pulling power, means that it pulls more strongly in the mid range, although the early acceleration and top speed are identical. Economy is 12mpg better with the diesel, and it has a significantly lower CO2 figure.
There are two levels of trim, with even the lesser SX version boasting central locking, twin front air bags, anti lock brakes, and electric operation of the front windows and heated door mirrors. The ELX costs £2,100 more, and gains alloy wheels, climate control, electric sunroof, and electric operation of the rear windows too.
Much more popular elsewhere in Europe, the Multipla is perhaps too unconventional for our conservative tastes, even though it is an impressive vehicle.
As with an increasing number of new vehicles, the official list price is merely a starting point for negotiations, and a discount of at least £1,000 seems to be the order of the day.
Personally, I would opt for a so-called dealer demonstrator that has been pre-registered to help the dealer reach the manufacturer's sales target.
This means that it may have a few miles on the clock, but the savings are even greater, especially as the Multipla may well make way for a mini MPV based on the Stilo.
FAST FACTS
Fiat Multipla JTD ELX
Price: £16,214
Mechanical: 115bhp, 1,910cc 4cyl turbodiesel engine driving front wheels via 5spd gearbox
Max Speed: 105mph
0-62mph: 12.5secs
Combined mpg: 44.1
Insurance Group: 10
CO2 emissions: 170g/km
BiK rating: 19%
Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles; 8yrs antirust; 3yrs paint