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After Zika outbreak, India's Tata settles on a new name for its Zica hatchback

After Zika outbreak, India's Tata settles on a new name for its Zica hatchback

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Tata Motors

The Zica compact hatchback will now be known as the Tiago, Indian automaker Tata Motors has announced. Tata had previously announced its intention to rebrand the car in the wake of the global Zika health crisis, a mosquito-borne virus that is widely thought to be causing serious birth defects in humans. Though they're spelled differently, it's easy to see how "Zica" was probably not the best name for a new car model. (Or a new anything, really.)

This isn't the first time a devastating news event has caused a name change: the now-defunct Softcard mobile payment consortium first launched as ISIS, which necessitated a change for obvious reasons.

The Tiago is expected to launch in its home market as soon as next month, which should give Tata just enough time to scrub all the Zica branding.