India’s Tata Motors said on Monday it has renamed its Zica hatchback as Tiago.
The carmaker had said it would have a new name for the car, showcased at the New Delhi motor show this month, after the outbreak of the Zika virus, the mosquito-borne illness that’s being blamed for the spread of a rare birth defect in Latin American countries.
Tata Motors is seeking an image makeover with the curvaceous hatchback, which is being endorsed by by world soccer player of the year Lionel Messi.
The hatchback will compete with vehicles in a similar class from Maruti Suzuki India and Hyundai Motor Co., where prices start at 400,000 rupees ($5,831.73).
India’s fifth-biggest automaker, which owns the Jaguar and Land Rover brands, has struggled to dispel perceptions of cheapness since releasing its Nano cars seven years ago costing under $3,000.
Tata will apply for regulatory registrations and is working towards the market launch of Tiago by March end, it said in a statement.
