Apartment with free car: Lamborghini Aventador

It's not uncommon to see real estate developers add sweeteners to lure buyers, but a Dubai-based firm is taking the trend to a higher level by offering new cars with residences in their latest tower project -- and this time around a 2014 Lamborghini Aventador for each of the penthouses.

Those taking the lesser properties will have to make do with a BMW or Mini Cooper, depending on the size of the purchase -- which will probably make for some confusion in nearby shopping centre carparks unless different colours are chosen for each.

The developers, Damac, are making the offers as part of their apartment deal during the annual Dubai Shopping Festival promotion. And it's not the first time the company has dangled 'extras' as consumer lures -- including cars, boats, planes and even other real estate.

Last year's shopping festival saw Damac offer penthouses with an Audi R8, while the three-bedroom apartments each had a free Audi A8 in the car spot, two-bedroom ones scored an A6 and the one-bedders a somewhat more everyday A4.

And in previous years the extras have included other luxury cars, motor yachts, and -- for a very exclusive promotion in 2008 -- an Eclipse 500 private jet and Pelican Caye Island, one of the few private islands on the Turneffe Atolla in the Caribbean.

“Damac Properties’ DSF promotion is always highly anticipated and we see some of the best results of the year during this time,” the firm's senior vice-president Niall McLoughlin said in a statement.

And the strong response is hardly surprising. The apartments should sell like hotcakes with the kind of icing they're offering. And at least if the tower isn't completed on time, you can camp in your Lamborghini while you wait for the tradies to finish.

This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott