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Tata Motors to Rename Zica Car


Tata Motors' Zicar, shown here in an photo from the company, will get a new name because of the Zika virus.
Tata Motors' Zicar, shown here in an photo from the company, will get a new name because of the Zika virus.

Indian car manufacturer Tata Motors is having to rename a car it is about to release thanks to the Zika virus.

Tata’s car, now called Zica, which is short for Zippy Car, will be renamed within a few weeks the company said Tuesday. The car is set to be shown Wednesday at the New Delhi motor show.

The company said it was taking the action "as a socially responsible company."

The mosquito-borne Zika virus has been declared an international health emergency, with the World Health Organization saying it is “spreading explosively” with the potential to infect up to 4 million people in the Americas alone.

Tata Motors is a subsidiary of Tata Group, one of India’s largest companies. The company was seeking to revamp its image as a cheap “nano” car maker with the slick Zica, signing up soccer superstar Lionel Messi as a pitchman.

There is currently no vaccine to combat the Zika virus.

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