Almost since Henry Ford introduced the mass production of automobiles via the assembly line, Walker Automotive has been selling cars in Central Louisiana.

 

The family-owned automotive group is in its 106th year since W. Foster Walker Sr. purchased the Alexandria Auto Company in 1919 and began selling REO and Durant autos in downtown Alexandria.

Now the family is in its fourth generation as Lawrence Searcy (who married then Amy Walker) assumed the presidency in 2021 from Foster Walker III, who was nominated for Time Dealer of the Year in 2014.

Walker Automotive consists of 11 different dealerships, 10 of which are in Alexandria/Pineville with one in Scott.

 

From luxury brands like Mercedes-Benz and BMW to everyday brands like Honda, Toyota and General Motors, buyers are sure to find something they like in the largest automotive group in the area.

While the brands may have changed through the years – the dealership was known for nearly 75 years as Walker Oldsmobile before General Motors shuttered that line in 2004 – customers always knew to expect a first-rate experience at any Walker dealership.

 

Customers often return for Walker Automotive’s service and collision departments to maintain and repair their car through the life of the vehicle.

 

Aren’t in the market for a car just yet? Walker also sells a range of lawn equipment, all terrain vehicles, motorcycles and side-by-sides.

 

Walker Automotive is military-affiliated starting W. Foster Walker Sr., a World War I veteran. Many Walker employees are veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces.

 

Having a business of any type doesn’t just survive and pass down through four generations over more than a century by chance.

 

Take family-run All Star Automotive Group out of Baton Rouge, which had been in business for four decades. Their sale of its 13 locations to Hudson Automotive earlier this fall is the largest automotive deal in Louisiana history and proves that decades of longevity doesn’t mean the future is guaranteed.

 

But from the Great Depression, the Great Recession, COVID-19 pandemic and many other times of economic inflation and deflation, Walker Automotive has found their way through hard times and prospered in boom times.

 

Walker Automotive is a part of the community through ventures like Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, the Food Bank of Central Louisiana, and Hope House of Central Louisiana among others.

And they plan on serving the Central Louisiana community for another century.