Tata Motors rechristens its Zica hatchback to Tiago

The Zika virus has forced Tata Motors to re-christen its new hatchback to Tiago from Zica.

According to Tata Motors, Tiago was crowd sourced through an online hunt, from a shortlist of the final three entries – Tiago, Civet and Adore.

The crowd sourcing event - #Fantastico Name Hunt - invited netizens, both within and outside India, to participate in the name hunt for the car. Within three days, 48 million enthusiasts engaged with the brand on social platforms with more than 37,000 car enthusiasts submitting their suggestions through social and mobile channels.

''We are delighted with the response and support we have received from our well-wishers across the globe through the Fantastico Name Hunt campaign. We are proud to announce the new name - Tiago - for our next new hatchback. We have begun working towards launching this stylish car and are determined to place it in the market addressing all relevant needs of the target audience," said Mayank Pareek, president, passenger vehicles business unit at Tata Motors.

The company had announced its intent to rename the previously named Zica (short for Zippy Car) as the "right and responsible action" following the virus outbreak across many countries (See: Tata Motors' hatchback Zica hit by `Zika' before launch ).

The company today, also announced the winner of this campaign - Libi Thomas (Facebook handle- Thomas Notthe Train) - whose entry matches the selected name.

Tata Motors said it expects to introduce the car by the end of March, the company said in a statement.

Earlier, the company said it will rename its new hatchback Zica set for immediate launch, after the mosquito-borne virus `Zika' has been declared an international health emergency.

The car was showcased at the biennial New Delhi motor show in February.

Since the World Health Organization has said `Zika' is "spreading explosively" and could infect as many as 4 million people in the Americas, Tata Motors is now seeking an image makeover for its new hatchback, which has a similar sounding name.