Electric vehicles are where the auto industry is headed, and long time Brandon dealership, Murray Auto Group, has been investing in that future.
Executive Manager Rich Pentney says they’ve spent over $500,000 installing nine charging stations, including one Level 3 DC fast charger, at the dealership to support customers purchasing fully electric vehicles from Murray Cadillac.
He says they also updated other equipment in order to service the luxury Cadillac Lyriq, which is a heavy vehicle due to the weight of the batteries it carries. Pentney says the dealership also had to purchase a new forklift that could handle the weight of the batteries – 8,000 pounds. “When they ship us these batteries they usually ship them two at a time, and when they do that, we need a very heavy forklift to able to unload those from the truck.”
On Monday September 26th, Cadillac Canada will be bring the ‘Cadillac Lyric Experience’ to Murray Cadillac on Richmond Avenue from 10 am – 7pm. Pentney says “What they do is bring the Cadillac in a pod on a trailer, and they’re going to park in front of the dealership. It’s a real interactive experience for our customers to be able to see what this vehicle offers and how they’re going to be able to drive it in our climate.”
And Pentney says the Lyriq is one sweet ride. “This is the first fully electric vehicle that cadillac is offering. It’s battery pack is all along the floor of the vehicle, and with that low centre of gravity, it provides for a wonderful ride and helps hold it to the road in our Manitoba winters. It’s also got a ton of cool features like a wrap around LED screen and the ultra-view sunroof – and super cruise which is a standard feature.”
The first Cadillac Lyriq’s for sale to Western Manitoba customers will arrive in spring 2023.
