Sicard has worked in different markets around the globe. How different does he find the Indian market? "Well, I have worked in many markets in Europe like UK, Netherlands, Spain and France. Those markets are very mature markets. The pace of change is very slow.

"The expectations are predictable; you know more or less what people want. You just need to maintain certain momentum to survive in those markets; there is no glitz and glamour. Things move at a steady place." In fact, Sicard observes that even the Japanese and the US markets are quite similar.

But things are different in the emerging markets. "If you look at markets like South Africa or Turkey - which I know quite well - and Brazil or Russia, the pace is completely different. The mindset in these markets is totally different. In the mature markets, people believe that the future is likely to be more difficult than today. If you ask a European about tomorrow, he's likely to say that he's not too sure what's going to happen. But what's different in Turkey, in South Africa and in India is that everybody is quite excited about tomorrow. You guys are sure that tomorrow is going to be better. Something better is going to happen to my country, to my family and to myself. That approach gives you a pace; it gives an attitude to the country."

Sicard believes that the same applies for the car industry. "Let's say that today you are going to buy a Sunny but tomorrow you will be hoping to buy a future Teana. ‘Or today I am driving the Terrano but I am pretty much sure that one day Nissan will launch the X-Trail and I am going to get it. I know I am not going to stop here because I am only 30 years old and in the next five years I am going to be more successful and I am going to get a bigger and better car'."

According to Sicard, this attitude defines the car market in India. For a car company, it means that it is always going to be challenged. "You need to offer new products and new technology very often. You cannot be at a slow pace because the country is at a high pace and it is expecting something new very often. So I think that's the big difference between the mature markets and emerging markets like India."

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