History

History

THE MURRAY AUTOMOTIVE GROUP HAS BEEN IN THE AUTOMOTIVE BUSINESS SINCE 1926 AND HAS SINCE GROWN TO OPERATE OVER 35 CANADIAN DEALERSHIPS FROM COAST TO COAST.

EMPLOYING OVER 1000 PROFESSIONALS, THE COMPANY IS OWNED AND OPERATED BOTH BY 3RD GENERATION MURRAY’S ALONG SIDE THOSE WHO HAVE WORKED THEIR WAY TO BECOME PARTNERS.

The dealers within the Murray Automotive Group are very active within their communities where Our Reputation is Your Guarantee .

A TRADITION OF SERVICE, 1926

In 1926 in Souris Manitoba, A.A. (Andy) Murray began to sell Star, Essex and Hudson cars from his implement business, expanding into the General Motors line in 1934. Today, that one dealership has expanded across Canada’s four western Provinces. The Murray Automotive Group now consists of over 30 dealerships employing over 1000 people and selling nearly 15,000 new and used vehicles each year.

 

SOURIS, MANITOBA, 1926

Souris, Manitoba was like any other small prairie town back in the roaring ’20s. And a Souris Saturday night was like any small-town Saturday night. The streets would come alive as every farm family for miles around would make the trip into town to do their shopping and socializing for the week. Starting in 1926, there was a new hangout on Saturday nights. That was the year A.A. (Andy) Murray opened his implement business and sold Star, Essex and Hudson cars.

 

GENERAL MOTORS, 1934

A.A. (Andy) Murray took on the General Motors line of vehicles. He kept the garage open on Saturday nights to midnight and beyond, to allow the farmers, railroaders and other passers-by a chance to visit while gawking at all the latest automobiles. Back then, a fully-loaded luxury car would cost you more than $1,500.

 

CONCLUSION OF WW2

WE WON! the headlines proclaim, and the boys are heading back home after the conclusion of the Second World War. Among them were Ewart and Clair Murray, two of A.A.’s three sons. Few cars were sold during the war. Those that were sold were without chrome, as chrome and almost all of Canada’s resources were directed toward the war effort. Those wanting to purchase a car had to sign up on a waiting list to have any hope of making a purchase. It was a different story after the war, as Canada entered upon an era of unprecedented prosperity, and not only automobiles but tractors and other motorized farm machinery began to dominate the prairie landscape.

 

BRANDON, MANITOBA, 1960

Murray’s Garage expands to Brandon, Manitoba. Clair Murray becomes president and general manager of Brandon Automobile Ltd. For the next decade, Pontiac, Buick, and Vauxhall cars, together with GMC trucks, are sold here.

 

PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE, MANITOBA, 1986

Portage La Prairie, Manitoba. Central Plains Pontiac Buick GMC Ltd. in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, is purchased, and Craig Dunn, a former sales manager for Murray Chev-Olds Cadillac in Brandon, becomes the dealer at Craig Dunn Motor City.

 

OAK BLUFF, MANITOBA, 1988

Wiens Chevrolet Oldsmobile Ltd. in Oak Bluff, Manitoba, is purchased. Dan Murray becomes the dealer at Dan Murray Chevrolet Oldsmobile, Oak Bluff.

 

MEDICINE HAT, ALBERTA, 1992

Bill Thompson Chevrolet Oldsmobile Cadillac, Ltd., in Medicine Hat, Alberta, is purchased by the Murray Group. Paul Murray is the new dealer at Murray Chevrolet Oldsmobile, Medicine Hat. Edmondson Chevrolet Oldsmobile Ltd. in Portage la Prairie is sold to the Murray Group. All four lines of GM vehicles are now sold from Craig Dunn Motor City.

 

WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, 1994

Carter Motors Ltd. on Portage Avenue in Winnipeg is purchased. That dealership becomes Murray Chevrolet Oldsmobile, with Dan Murray as the dealer. Chris Murray takes over as dealer principal at Dan Murray Chevrolet Oldsmobile in Oak Bluff.

 

DAUPHIN, MANITOBA, 1995

Martin Motors Ltd. in Dauphin, Manitoba is sold to the Murray Group. Dean Cooley, who had been a sales manager at the Brandon dealership, becomes the dealer at Dean Cooley Motors in Dauphin, where he sells four lines of GM product.

 

THE SOURIS FIRE, 1996

The original Murray dealership in Souris is destroyed by fire on August 17. It had been operating as a satellite of the dealership in Brandon since 1990. After the fire, the local Ford dealership in Souris was purchased, and the satellite office moved to that location.

 

BOW ISLAND, ALBERTA, 1996

Bow Island, Alberta, is also added to the Murray Automotive Group as a satellite of the Medicine Hat dealership. Dwight Kurtz is manager of the new outlet.

 

MOOSE JAW SASKATCHEWAN, 1997

Brand City Chevrolet Oldsmobile Cadillac Ltd. in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan is purchased. Charles VandenBroek, a former sales manager for Murray’s in Medicine Hat, is the new dealer at Murray Chevrolet Oldsmobile in Moose Jaw.

 

TWENTY-TWO ACRES OF LAND IN WINNIPEG, 1997

is purchased by the Murray Group at the intersection of two busy auto routes, Waverley and Bishop Grandin. This is to be the location for the “Auto Mall of Manitoba.” and new home of Murray Chevrolet Hummer of Winnipeg.

 

LETHBRIDGE, ALBERTA, 1999

Beny Chevrolet Oldsmobile Cadillac Ltd. in Lethbridge, Alberta is purchased. Chris Murray leaves Oak Bluff when the dealership closes, and becomes the dealer at Murray Chevrolet Oldsmobile Cadillac in Lethbridge.

 

THE PAS, MANITOBA, 2000

Carroll Motors Ltd. in the Pas, Manitoba is sold to the Murray Group. Guy Bordian, a sales manager at Dean Cooley Motors in Dauphin, becomes manager of Dean Cooley Motors in The Pas. The four GM lines are sold from the new dealership.

 

FORT ST. JOHN, BRITISH COLUMBIA, 2001

In Fort St. John, B.C., sixteen acres of land known as the Chiulli Triangle is purchased by the Murray Group. This property lies between the Alaska Highway and 100 Ave. in Fort St. John, and is the home of Murray Chevrolet Oldsmobile Pontiac Buick GMC, as well as other commercial outlets.

 

ESTEVAN & OXBOW, SASKATCHEWAN, 2002

The Murray Group purchases the GM dealership in Estevan and its satellite location in Oxbow Saskatchewan together with operating partner Herb Padwick.

 

ABBOTSFORD, BRITISH COLUMBIA, 2002

The Murray Auto Group continues their growth in BC by purchasing the Pontiac, Buick, GMC dealership located in downtown Abbotsford, British Columbia together with operating partner Rob Taylor.

 

MERRITT, BRITISH COLUMBIA, 2006

Murray Hyundai is built in the Waverley Automall in winnipeg and becomes the first non-GM dealership within the Murray Automotive Group. Damain Mannion, who worked with Dan Murray at the Chevrolet dealership becomes General Manager for this location. The Hyundai Dealership is recognized as the most Energy Efficient Dealership in North America with Solar Window, a Heat Recovery Ventilation system and Geothermal Heating.

 

ABBOTSFORD AUTOMALL, 2007

We purchased the Chevrolet Cadillac dealership located in the Abbotsford Automall with the intention to ultimately amalgamate its operations with our existing Pontiac store in Abbotsford under the leadership of Rob Taylor.

 

NIPAWIN, SASKATCHEWAN, 2007

We purchased the GM store in Nipawin, Saskatchewan together with Craig Dunn and our operating partner Lyall Cook.

 

YARMOUTH & BARRINGTON, NOVA SCOTIA, 2008

We purchased the GM store in Yarmouth and its satellite location in Barrington Nova Scotia with our operating partner Jeff Little.

 

NEEPAWA, MANITOBA 2008

The GM dealership purchased Murray Chevrolet in Neepawa, Manitoba in the summer of 2008. This was a familiar name, but in fact was owned by a different Murray family. The Auto Group purchased controlling interest in the dealership and brought in Ryan McLaughlin as the new General Manager for McLaughlin Motors.

 

LEDUC, ALBERTA, 2008

We purchased the Chevrolet store in Leduc Alberta together with our operating partner Dwight Kurtz.

 

MAPLE CREEK, SASKATCHEWAN, 2008

In 2008, we constructed a new dealership to house the expanded operation in Maple Creek, Saskatchewan.

 

THE MURRAY AUTOMOTIVE GROUP HAS “GONE PLATINUM”, 2010

The Murray Automotive Group was pleased to announce that they have “Gone Platinum”. February 16th 2010, the National Post announced the Murray Automotive Group as official members of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies, Platinum Club. Membership is restricted to the elite corporations who have been recognized for excellence as Canada’s 50 Best for a minimum of six consecutive years.

MURRAY HYUNDAI WHITE ROCK, 2011

The Murray Automotive Group partners with Cedric Gagne to establish Murray Hyundai White Rock. Cedric had worked within the Murray Group for 16 years and at the young age of 33 had worked his way up to taking on his own dealership out in BC.

MURRAY CHRYSLER WESTMAN, 2011

Previously Radics Chrysler, this is the first Chrysler Dodge Ram Jeep dealership in the Murray Group. The dealership has since moved into the existing Murray Chevrolet Building at 1500 Richmond Road in Brandon MB.

MURRAY HONDA CHILLIWACK, 2012

The Murray Auto Group partners with Darren Bosch, a former sales manager at Murray GM of Moose Jaw, to purchase Murray Honda in Chilliwack, British Columbia.

MURRAY HYUNDAI MEDICINE HAT, 2012

Murray Auto Group Partner Paul Murray opens Murray Hyundai Medicine Hat next to his existing General Motors dealership in Medicine Hat, Alberta.

MURRAY KIA LETHBRIDGE, 2012

Murray Auto Group Partner Chris Murray opens Murray Kia Lethbridge next to his existing General Motors dealership in Lethbridge, Alberta.

MURRAY KIA ABBOTSFORD, 2013

The Murray Auto Group partners with Rob Taylor to open Murray Kia in Abbotsford, British Columbia next to the existing Murray General Motors dealership in Abbotsford.

MURRAY HOUSE CANCER TREATMENT RESIDENCE OPENS IN BRANDON, 2014

The Murray Auto Group becomes the principal donor to the “A Sense of Home” campaign, a project that aims to build a residence for cancer patients receiving treatment at the new cancer centre to stay in a comfortable and convenient residence with their families. “We felt that this was a very good cause,” said Murray. “Cancer touches almost everybody. It was a good cause for us as a business as well; Murray House will be housing people from rural communities who need to come into Brandon for treatment, and rural communities make up over half our customer base. We felt that our customers deserve to know that we’re supporting something as important as this.” Murray House, located at 521 Frederick Street, began construction in 2012 and opened its doors to guests in the spring of 2014. The residence contains eight bedrooms, each with their own bathroom and an extra bed, with room for eight patients and family members.”

MURRAY DODGE CHRYSLER JEEP RAM, NOVA SCOTIA, 2015

Murray Auto Group announces a new dealership, Murray Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram, in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, partnering with Jeff Little, President of Murray Dodge and partner with the Murray Auto Group.

MURRAY MAZDA CHILLIWACK, 2015

The Murray Auto Group announces its expansion of operations in Chilliwack with the acquisition of the local Mazda dealership.  Doug Murray takes on the operation as Dealer Principal.

MURRAY HONDA CHILLIWACK, 2018

Darren Bosch hands over the reins of Murray Honda Chilliwack to Chris Emery, former General Sales Manager of Murray Chevrolet Cadillac Lethbridge.  Chris becomes Dealer Principal of the Honda dealership.

MURRAY MAZDA CHILLIWACK, 2020

After success with the nearby Honda location, Chris Emery takes over the additional role of Dealer Principal from Doug Murray at Murray Mazda in Chilliwack in February 2020.