Tata considers renaming fresh Zica car as Zika virus spreads
Indian company is reviewing the name of its fresh model just weeks after launching a big marketing campaign for it
Tata’s fresh Zica, a name it had intended to be brief for “zippy car”. Photograph: Tata
Tata considers renaming fresh Zica car as Zika virus spreads
Indian company is reviewing the name of its fresh model just weeks after launching a big marketing campaign for it
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Monday one February two thousand sixteen 12.06 GMT Last modified on Thursday eleven August two thousand sixteen Ten.50 BST
The Indian carmaker Tata Motors has been compelled to consider switching the name of its strenuously promoted fresh car, the Zica, as global alarm mounts about the Zika virus.
The company said it was reviewing the name, brief for “zippy car”, which now has unavoidable associations with a virus linked to serious birth defects and neurological problems.
The possible rebranding comes just weeks after Tata launched a big marketing campaign for the car, including adverts featuring footage of the footballer Lionel Messi.
The timing couldn’t be worse as the World Health Organisation meets to determine whether it should proclaim Zika a global health emergency. The mosquito-borne virus has been linked to thousands of cases of microcephaly, a birth defect resulting in abnormally petite goes, in Brazil.
In an email to the Guardian, Tata’s head of corporate communications, Minari Shah, said: “The decision to name our car happened many months back when we could not have foreseen any of the latest events. In view of the latest developments, we are now evaluating the situation. We do not presently have a timeframe about when we will announce the decision.”
Tata’s marketing material for the Zica offers drivers the chance to “leave all worries miles behind without her/him even knowing it”. The car is due to go on showcase at this week’s Auto Expo in Fresh Delhi.
Last week the WHO said the Zika virus was spreading at an explosive rate and was present in more than twenty counties. It estimated that up to four million people across the Americas would be infected with the virus in the next year.
The WHO is worried that it will spread beyond the Americas. India, where the closely related dengue fever is a common problem, is particularly susceptible to mosquito-borne viruses.