Tata Motors renames Zica car ‘Tiago’ to avoid confusion with Zika virus

The hatchback, endorsed by world soccer player of the Lionel Messi was unveiled at the New Delhi motor show earlier this month

(Tata Motors)

Tata Motors has renamed its Zica car ‘Tiago’ to avoid confusion with Zika virus.

Tata’s newest car was originally named Zica, a derivative of Zippy Car. But the company decided to change it after the Zika Virus was declared a global emergency by the World Health Organisation in February.

“Empathizing with the hardships being caused by the recent Zika virus outbreak across many countries, Tata Motors, as a socially responsible company, has decided to re-brand the car,” Tata Motors said in a statement.

The hatchback, endorsed by world soccer player of the Lionel Messi was unveiled at the New Delhi motor show earlier this month.

The World Health Organisation has predicted that as many as four million people could be infected with the Zika virus this year.

The outbreak of Zika, which is transmitted by mosquitoes, began in Brazil last May and has moved into more than 20 countries in Latin America.

The Zika virus has been linked to birth defects such as microcephaly in children and the paralysing Guillain-Barre syndrome.

Four cases of Zika virus have been confirmed in the UK by British health authorities.