Buying a car is one thing. Buying from people who have lived in your community for two generations is another. Walter's Automotive Group is a family-owned dealer group with six dealerships in Riverside and Ontario, California, spanning Audi, Porsche, and Mercedes-Benz, including Sprinter vans. Founded from a Riverside repair shop in 1960, it has served Inland Empire drivers for more than six decades.
That's the short version. The longer one starts with a mechanic, a wrench, and a decision to put down roots in a city he'd only meant to pass through.
Six Dealerships, One Family, Six Decades in the Inland Empire
Rooted in Riverside and Ontario, California
Today, Walter's Automotive Group operates six dealerships across Riverside and Ontario: Audi Riverside, Audi Ontario, Porsche Riverside, Porsche Ontario, Mercedes-Benz of Riverside, and Mercedes-Benz Van Center of Riverside. Between them, the group carries more than 1,000 new and pre-owned luxury vehicles across three manufacturers, plus a dedicated commercial Sprinter van lineup.
Every one of those six dealerships traces back to the same repair shop, which means the same family has been fixing, selling, and standing behind cars in this region since Eisenhower was still in office.
Our Heritage
A Family Business Built From the Ground Up
Walter Kienle was born in Germany to Swiss parents and immigrated to the United States in 1948. He found work as an automotive mechanic almost immediately, then enlisted in the Army to serve his new country. He trained at tank school and reached the rank of Staff Sergeant, and it was during that service, stationed in Riverside, that he decided Southern California was where he wanted to build a life.
After his discharge, Kienle opened an automotive repair shop in Riverside in 1960, specializing in European vehicles. By 1965, he had earned the right to sell the cars he had spent years repairing, and that shift from repair shop to dealership marked the real beginning of what would become Walter's Automotive Group.
The Walter's Difference
Why Inland Empire Drivers Choose Walter's
A group this size could easily feel like a corporation. Walter's Automotive Group doesn't, and that's by design.
01
Family Ownership
Every decision, from inventory to pricing, still runs through a family that has lived and worked in Riverside for more than 60 years, not a public conglomerate.
02
Lower Cost of Doing Business
Fewer layers between ownership and the showroom floor leave more room to work with buyers on price.
03
Three Brands, One Standard
Audi, Porsche, and Mercedes-Benz buyers all get the same ownership, the same service commitment, and the same local accountability.
04
Six Decades of Experience
Decades of hands-on mechanical and sales excellence ensure your vehicle receives exceptional care from inquiry to delivery and beyond.
Streamlined Experience
How Buying at Walter's Works
A six-dealership group can sound complicated from the outside. In practice, it works the way a single dealership does, just with more doors to choose from.
01
Start With the Brand
Each of the six locations—Audi Riverside, Audi Ontario, Porsche Riverside, Porsche Ontario, Mercedes-Benz of Riverside, and the Mercedes-Benz Van Center—runs its own showroom, its own new and pre-owned inventory, and its own finance center. Buying, financing, and trading in all happen at the dealership level, not through a central group office, so the person who helps you find a vehicle is the same person who can answer questions about it later.
02
Service Across the Group
Bring a vehicle back to the dealership that sold it, or to the group's other location for that brand. An Audi bought in Riverside can be serviced at either Audi Riverside or Audi Ontario, and the same goes for the group's two Porsche locations. One ownership group, but every dealership still runs its own relationship with its own customers.
Community Commitment
Giving Back to the Communities We Serve
For 30 years, Walter's Automotive Group hosted the Walter's Children's Charity Classic, an annual golf tournament that raised more than $7 million for Loma Linda University Children's Hospital before its 30th and final year in June 2026. It stands as one of the longest-running dealer-led charity commitments in the Inland Empire, and it reflects a family that has never treated giving back as a marketing line item.
$7M+
Raised for Loma Linda
30 Years
Charity Classic Tournament
FAQ
What Riverside and Ontario Drivers Ask About Walter's Automotive Group
Buying from a multi-brand, multi-location dealer group raises a few natural questions. Here is what we hear most.
Walter's Automotive Group sells new and pre-owned Audi, Porsche, and Mercedes-Benz vehicles, along with Mercedes-Benz Sprinter commercial vans, across its six dealerships in Riverside and Ontario, California.
Each dealership operates its own inventory, showroom, and factory-trained service department for its specific brand, so buyers get manufacturer-specific expertise at every location rather than a one-size-fits-all sales floor.
Walter's Automotive Group traces back to a repair shop Walter Kienle opened in Riverside in 1960. The dealership side of the business began in 1965, giving the group more than six decades of continuous, local, family ownership.
Yes. Each Walter's dealership runs a factory-trained service department for its brand, so an Audi purchased in Riverside can be serviced at Audi Ontario, and the same holds true across the group's other brand pairings.
Walter's Automotive Group operates four dealerships in Riverside, CA: Audi Riverside, Porsche Riverside, Mercedes-Benz of Riverside, and the Mercedes-Benz Van Center. Its remaining two dealerships, Audi Ontario and Porsche Ontario, sit about 20 minutes north in Ontario, CA.
Yes. Each dealership's finance center works with its own network of lenders, and buyers can explore financing options for any brand in the group directly through that dealership's finance page.
Each Walter's dealership maintains its own contact page with current hours and a direct line to sales, service, and parts. Visit the dealership links below to reach the location nearest you.
Visit a Walter’s Automotive Group Dealership
Six dealerships, four brands, one family standing behind every one of them. Explore inventory or schedule a visit at the location nearest you.
