Automotive News Canada - August 2024 - 15

* AUGUST 2024
15
Not being a gearhead
has given her an edge
By JIL McINTOSH
OSHAWA CORRESPONDENT
SARA PIMENTEL
A CONSUMER'S EYE GUIDES
SUBARU CANADA'S MESSAGING
ADVERTISING IS MORE THAN
promoting a vehicle. It's also
about getting the brand's message
across so people will remember
it. As advertising manager for
Subaru Canada in Mississauga,
Ont., Sara Pimentel makes sure
the message hits its mark.
She heads the strategy and
development of the national campaigns
and new-vehicle launches.
" We lead
our [advertising]
agency
partners, going
back and forth
on strategy and
production of
the campaign
itself. "
That can entail attending commercial
shoots to make sure the
brand is properly represented.
Pimentel, 35, always loved
to write and earned a degree in
media studies and a has a journalism
diploma.
After interning with Global
News in Toronto, she was hired
as an editorial assistant in 2010.
" I did field producing, worked
in the control room, the teleprompters,
the video library, " she
said.
She was there for three-anda-half
years but realized that
working with so much bad news
wasn't for her.
" I needed a different industry
for my creative side. "
She went into experiential
marketing as a brand ambassador,
which included a Lincoln
event. " I never thought I would
work for a car brand, but it was
a lot of fun and different from the
other clients. "
She joined Subaru in 2016
as advertising coordinator and
moved to advertising specialist
and then to manager in 2022.
" I'm not a gearhead, and I
think that gives me an advantage
because I'm seeing our marketing
[from the perspective of] an average
consumer. "
What's the mark of a successful
campaign?
" People remember our ads
from years ago and that tells you
it was impactful, and you did
your job, " she said.
Dilawri has a stake as buyer
and seller in $54M land deal
A subsidiary of
Dilawri Group has
bought dealership
property in a
rapidly changing
neighbourhood
from a leasing
company partially
owned by Dilawri
By DAVID KENNEDY
TORONTO BUREAU CHIEF
Hanif Nori's legal background
helps him tailor his approach
to government policies that
could affect Honda Canada's
operations.
PHOTO: HONDA CANADA
HANIF NORI
'THE MAIN PERSON' LOBBYING
GOVERNMENT FOR HONDA
IN APRIL, HONDA CANADA
announced a $15 billion investment
to build electric vehicles
and batteries in Alliston, Ont.
Ensuring the project adheres
to federal and provincial regulations
falls to Hanif Nori, manager
of government and environmental
affairs.
" I make sure the people in our
company are aware of regulatory
changes . . . and what meetings
need to happen with key politicians, "
said Nori, who works at
Honda's head office in Markham,
Ont.
He's also " the main person lobbying
government when major
policies affect the company and
representing Honda within industry
associations. "
After studying law in Toronto,
Nori, 47, worked as a lawyer for
a private firm and then the attorney
general of Ontario. After
earning a master's in international
and corporate law at New
York's Columbia University, he
returned to Toronto. Following
stints at a financial services company
and Canadian Tire, he
joined Honda in 2011. He began as
an in-house lawyer.
" I reviewed and negotiated
contracts and worked with our
dealer network, " Nori said.
A couple of years later he took
on the government relations file.
With new regulations including
zero-emission mandates, " we
needed to be more active with our
lobbying, and in 2017 I devoted
my time to government relations
and had a team assigned to me, "
he said.
In addition to government
monitoring, Nori meets regularly
with Honda representatives in
Japan and the U.S. " Our products
built in Alliston go to the U.S. and
political frameworks happening
in the U.S. affect Canada. . . . We
have to take those into account, "
he said.
Sara Pimentel, Subaru
Canada's advertising manager,
tries to look at campaigns
through the eyes of everyday
consumers.
PHOTO: SUBARU CANADA
" My legal background is helpful
to understand policies, but I
also have to read the room. We
have to see what's ahead, understand
the key areas to focus on,
and tailor the messages when we
lobby the government. " - ANC
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AUTOMOTIVE PROPERTIES
Real Estate Investment Trust
(REIT), a company that leases
land to dealerships, has sold a
pair of adjoining Toronto-area
land parcels as redevelopment
work rapidly transforms the
neighbourhood surrounding
the six-acre (2.4-hectare) location.
The
company, partially
owned by Dilawri Group, said
on July 29 that a subsidiary
of Dilawri agreed to purchase
the land at the intersection of
Kennedy Road and Unionville
Gate in Markham, Ont., for $54
million, plus an unquantified
additional payment if the property
is rezoned successfully.
Markham Honda, which
is owned by Dilawri, is located
on the east end of the site.
Markville Ford-Lincoln, not
owned by Dilawri, occupied
the west side before a recent
move to a nearby location on
Highway 7.
The Markham neighbourhood,
known as Unionville,
is undergoing major changes,
with a number of
residential and commercial
development
projects under way or
planned in the immediate
vicinity of the
dealership properties.
The auto retail
site is also next to the
new York University
Markham Campus that
will open to students
in fall.
Details of Dilawri's
redevelopment plans
for the location were
not shared.
Automotive
account for about half the
total. Other tenants include
AutoCanada, Lithia Motors, Go
Auto and Tesla.
PROCEEDS TO PAY DOWN DEBT
The deal is expected to close
within the next 18 months.
Automotive Properties
REIT plans to use the
proceeds from the sale
to pay down debt.
Company CEO
Milton Lamb said the
sale will let the real
estate company benefit
from the expected
redevelopment of
the property without
" incurring any development
risk. "
Lamb: Many of
the Automotive
Properties REIT is a
publicly traded company
and is closely
affiliated with
Dilawri Group, which
owns 80 franchised dealerships
in Canada. At the end of
May, Dilawri held a 31.4 per
cent stake in the Automotive
Properties REIT, which owns
the land under 77 dealerships
in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal,
Vancouver, Calgary and
Edmonton.
Dilawri Group locations
Properties
REIT sites
are in urban
" areas that are
experiencing
intensification. "
PHOTO: LINKEDIN
" Many of our properties
are located in
urban areas that are
experiencing intensification
and therefore
represent opportunities
to work with
our tenants to crystalize
significant incremental
value for our
unitholders, " he said in a
release.
Because of Automotive
Properties REIT's close ties to
Dilawri, independent trustees
met to weigh the impact of the
deal on the real estate company
and review separate property
appraisals before approving the
transaction. - ANC
Quarter-Page CANADA Auto News Ad for AUGUST 2024 publication - (Due JULY. 20)
https://www.joeverde.com/Video-Joe-Verde-Automotive-News-7.html?sc=13120
Automotive News Canada - August 2024

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