The Rover Mini is a squat, boxy car that was designed in the late 1950s when the Suez Canal crisis prompted gas rationing in Europe (if you are not familiar with the car, check out its website: www.mini.co.uk). These days, the brand is owned by BMW. The Mini sells for between 1.8 million yen and 2.4 million yen. A Japanese model of the same size costs about half that. Yet the Mini has many takers. Rover rarely does TV ads; instead it relies on word of mouth. Despite the price tag and little advertising, Rover sells more Minis in Japan than anywhere else in the world. The car has been far more successful in Japan than most other imported car makes like GM’s Saturn or DaimlerChrysler’s Neon. What factors do you think explain the Rover Mini’s success in Japan?