Fiat 500L seven-seater spotted

We like the small Fiat 500 a lot, but we're not so fond of the upsized version Fiat is planning. When the five-door 500L debuted at Geneva, calling it homely was being generous, indeed. We can't deny the logic in offering a more family friendly 500, however. But a size-large seven-seater? This quite literally stretches the limits of the 500's ethos.

Yet Auto Express has captured spy shots of a full-size design study for exactly that: A 500L with a third row. The magazine is reporting that the mockup it spotted in the automaker's Turin, Italy, design studio rides on the same wheelbase as the five-door model, but with its rear overhang extended by nearly eight inches to accommodate what must surely be the smallest third row of seats to ever grace the interior of a vehicle not made of Lego.

The report goes on to say that the seven-passenger model would use the same body panels and doors as the five-door 500L, basically everything from the C-pillar forward. Check out Auto Express for more images and info. Hit the jump for the preview video below.

News Source: Auto Express