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.
