“Buy a Condo. Get a Car.” That’s Toronto, Canada-based Minto Group’s recent campaign for its newest project Bside at Minto Westside. But it’s not just any car – it’s an electric car.
In an age of ‘green washing,’ where people boast about minor energy efficient upgrades like low flow toilets, Minto wanted a unique way of promoting pre-sales of its new project while also promoting a unique feature – EV-charging-equipped parking spaces. The developer partnered with Nissan Canada to offer 20 free Nissan LEAF vehicles to those who purchased a condo and an EV-charging-equipped parking space at Bside in Toronto.
“Minto has an outstanding reputation as a green builder,” says Amanda Wilson Watkins, vice president of marketing and sales at Minto Communities. “So many of our buyers are environmentally conscious, and this really resonates with their sensibilities.”
While the campaign specifically highlights the EV charging stations, Bside at Minto Westside includes several other sustainable features including individual suite metering, green roofs rain water harvesting, high-efficiency mechanical systems, and HRV fan coils. The development is also a LEED certification candidate.
“This incentive not only provides great value to future residents, but helps to raise awareness around the fact that EV charging stations are available and turn a simple green feature into a real selling point for the project,” says Wilson Watkins.
Currently the condos range between C$209,990 and the low C$600s. The development is expected to be completed in early 2019. In just six weeks since the campaign launched, Wilson Watkins says there has been overwhelming interest and suggests the offer will only continue a few more weeks until all of the spots are sold.
