AI and regulationUS
After the FTC's Greenway settlement, dealers should advertise the price buyers actually pay
Florida new cars advertised below the state sat nearly twice as long in Sep 2026
The Federal Trade Commission announced a proposed settlement with Greenway Auto Group on Oct 8, 2026, over alleged price misrepresentation and misleading prize mailers, and the agency alleges the group charged an average of more than $3,350 above the advertised price in over 92% of transactions. MarketCheck read the US market the case sits in, new vehicles sold on Florida dealer websites, and found that Greenway's Florida new cars carried a median asking price of $35,283 in Sep 2026, a mean 5.09% below MSRP against 3.16% for the state, and sat at a median 71 days on market against 37 days statewide. A headline price advertised further below MSRP than the state did not turn inventory faster. The practical read for dealers is to advertise the price a buyer will actually pay.
What the data shows
| Month | New vehicles sold (units) | Median asking price ($) | Median days on market (days) | Mean price vs MSRP (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | 106,758 | $41,140 | 41 | -4.31% |
| Mar 2026 | 118,575 | $40,630 | 37 | -4.56% |
| Sep 2026 | 109,788 | $42,545 | 37 | -3.16% |
Year on year, Florida new-vehicle sales rose about 2.8% and the median asking price rose about 3.4%, from $41,140 to $42,545. The discount to MSRP narrowed by more than a point, from 4.31% to 3.16%, and the median days on market fell from 41 to 37. These are advertised asking prices, and the MSRP column is a mean of advertised price against MSRP.
Against that market, selected groups from the 15 largest Florida sellers by sales in Sep 2026 separate clearly. Greenway Automotive sold 2,174 new vehicles at a median $35,283, a mean 5.09% below MSRP, with a median 71 days on market. Morgan Auto Group sold 8,577 at a median $39,510 and 39 days. AutoNation Inc. sold 6,911 at $46,359 and 34 days. Asbury Automotive Group sold 3,695 at $42,168 and 27 days. Penske Automotive Group Inc. sold 1,900 at $41,249 and 20 days. Bomnin Automotive Group sold 1,401 at $39,293, a mean 17.64% below MSRP, with 52 days. Fields Auto Group sold 1,038 at a median $59,983 and 24 days.
Advertised discount alone does not identify a fee problem. Bomnin advertised a far deeper discount than Greenway and Fields a slightly deeper one. The test is the gap between the advertised price and the price charged.
Why it matters
A deeper headline discount did not move stock faster. Greenway's Florida new-vehicle sales were advertised at a mean 5.09% below MSRP in Sep 2026, against 3.16% for the Florida market, yet its median new car spent 71 days on market against 37 days statewide, 34 days longer than the state median.
The alleged gap is large against the advertised number. The FTC alleges an average of more than $3,350 above the advertised price in over 92% of transactions. Greenway's median new-vehicle asking price in Florida was $35,283 in Sep 2026, so the alleged gap is a meaningful share of the number shoppers compared.
Orlando shoppers see this group often. MarketCheck research published Oct 12, 2026 counted 5,227 Greenway listings within 50 miles of Orlando, 13.3% of local listings. Shoppers comparing prices in that metro, and the marketplaces carrying them, see those prices most.
The rest of the market moved the other way. Florida's new-vehicle discount to MSRP narrowed from 4.31% in Sep 2025 to 3.16% in Sep 2026 while the median asking price rose. Competing dealers were not winning on headline price over that year.
Enforcement is following guidance quickly. The FTC published its price-transparency FAQs on Sep 15, 2026, requiring advertised prices to include all mandatory fees, excluding only government charges. California's CARS Act began requiring a total advertised price on Oct 1, 2026, and the Greenway settlement followed on Oct 8, 2026. MarketCheck research found 9.09% of US used-car listings carried no advertised price on Oct 12, 2026.
What to watch
- Follow-on FTC actions against other dealer groups. Dealers can reconcile advertised prices against signed buyer's orders now, starting with document and add-on fees.
- Whether Greenway's Florida discount to MSRP narrows and its days on market fall once total prices are disclosed. That will show whether all-in pricing costs or helps turn.
- Listings with no price or with conditional discounts, against the 9.09% of US used-car listings with no advertised price on Oct 12, 2026.
- Whether the Florida new-vehicle discount keeps narrowing from 3.16% while median asking prices hold above $42,545.
- Whether groups advertising deeper discounts, such as Bomnin at a mean 17.64% below MSRP, show days on market moving with or against that discount.
How this was measured
Monthly sold-vehicle statistics from US dealer websites, new vehicles in Florida, Sep 2025 to Sep 2026, with Sep 2026 the latest complete month. Prices are advertised asking prices, not transaction prices, and exclude auctions and private sales. Days on market counts days listed anywhere. The MSRP figure is a mean against MarketCheck's MSRP, while prices and days are medians. The FTC names the respondent Greenway Auto Group, and MarketCheck data lists the group as Greenway Automotive. Source: MarketCheck data, sold-vehicle statistics from US dealer websites, read with the MarketCheck Sold Summary API (the get_sold_summary tool in the MarketCheck MCP; docs https://docs.marketcheck.com/docs/get-started/api/mcp/tools/sold-summary). API keys: https://developers.marketcheck.com.
The story we checked
"FTC Warns Auto Dealers on Price Transparency, Citing Recent Settlement", Sheppard Mullin, Oct 15, 2026. Fact-check tally: five claims verified, none unverifiable.
You can run the same read in MarketCheck AI Desk: https://ai.marketcheck.com/install.
Reproduce this
- search_active_cars: Pull live Florida new-vehicle listings by dealer group and compare advertised prices against MSRP.
- search_past_90_days: List Florida new vehicles that left dealer websites in the last 90 days at their last asking price.
- generate_market_movers: See what is moving in the Orlando metro where Greenway listings are concentrated.
The story we checkedFTC Warns Auto Dealers on Price Transparency, Citing Recent Settlement, Sheppard Mullin, Oct 15, 2026
More stories
Euro NCAP's button rule hits Chinese brands that are a sliver of UK lots: BYD 0.4% of listings, MG 2.0%
Euro NCAP rewards physical buttons and Chinese models score lower. On UK lots BYD is 0.4% of listings and MG 2.0%, per MarketCheck data.
Oct 19, 2026Week of Oct 19, 2026
Copart closes ACV deal: dealers face one wholesale owner with used retail prices flat since May 2026
Copart closed its $1.9B ACV Auctions deal as US used retail prices sit flat since May 2026 and 4.4% above Sep 2025, per MarketCheck data.
Oct 19, 2026Week of Oct 19, 2026
CarMax's Aug 2026 price cut lasted one month: its used premium is back to $2,000 as Bank of America turns bullish
MarketCheck data: CarMax's Sep 2026 median used ask of $25,998 sat $2,000 above the US median of $23,998, double the $1,008 gap in Aug 2026.
Oct 19, 2026Week of Oct 19, 2026