DealersUS
Lithia aims for $100B in revenue while its dealer-website sales fell 4.1% in Sep 2026
US dealer groups, sold-vehicle data, Sep 2025 against Sep 2026
Lithia Motors beat third-quarter 2026 estimates and set a long-term target of $75 billion to $100 billion in annual revenue, according to an Investing.com report on Oct 21, 2026, which also noted a 1.4% year-on-year decline in same-store revenue and a declared dividend. Set against that target, MarketCheck data for the US market shows the group's existing footprint moving fewer vehicles: Lithia sold 55,902 vehicles off US dealer websites in Sep 2026, down from 58,278 in Sep 2025, a decline of 4.1%. Over the same two months, Carvana, CarMax and Asbury Automotive Group each sold more, and Lithia's median days on market rose from 34 to 38 days.
What the data shows
| Dealer group | Sold Sep 2025 (units) | Sold Sep 2026 (units) | Change YoY (%) | Median days on market Sep 2025 (days) | Median days on market Sep 2026 (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carvana | 49,687 | 71,192 | +43.3% | 22 | 22 |
| CarMax | 59,130 | 66,255 | +12.0% | 28 | 25 |
| Lithia Motors Inc. | 58,278 | 55,902 | -4.1% | 34 | 38 |
| AutoNation Inc. | 51,883 | 50,953 | -1.8% | 32 | 33 |
| Asbury Automotive Group | 24,562 | 29,272 | +19.2% | 31 | 28 |
| Group 1 Automotive Inc. | 28,818 | 27,317 | -5.2% | 28 | 28 |
| Penske Automotive Group Inc. | 25,296 | 26,575 | +5.1% | 28 | 29 |
| Berkshire Hathaway Automotive | 23,186 | 25,411 | +9.6% | 26 | 25 |
Reading the table: Lithia's volume fell while its median days on market rose by four days, the largest increase among these eight groups, and Carvana, CarMax, Asbury, Penske and Berkshire Hathaway all sold more than they did a year earlier.
A second MarketCheck read covers Lithia on its own. Its median asking price went from $34,067 in Sep 2025 to $35,758 in Sep 2026, a rise of 5.0%. Median miles fell from 6,856 to 1,848, median days on market went from 34 to 38, and the mean price against MarketCheck MSRP moved from -18.40% to -17.71%. Fewer miles alongside a higher price points to a sales mix weighted more toward new vehicles. MarketCheck research separately found Lithia's used sales fell 15.3% year on year in Aug 2026.
Why it matters
The $100 billion figure is a target for the group as a whole, and the story frames it as acquisition-led growth. The listing data describes something narrower and more current: what the stores Lithia already operates moved off their websites in one month, which was 4.1% fewer units than a year earlier.
Carvana grew 43.3% over the same two months, to 71,192 units, and moved ahead of both CarMax and Lithia. Lithia ranked second among US dealer groups by units in Sep 2025 and third in Sep 2026. For used-vehicle shoppers, the online-led retailers are increasingly the first stop before a franchise group.
At 38 days, Lithia's median days on market is the longest among the eight largest groups in Sep 2026, against 22 days at Carvana and 25 at CarMax. Inventory that sits longer is inventory being carried longer by the stores holding it.
Price is doing work that unit volume is not. The median asking price rose while units fell, and the mean discount to MarketCheck MSRP narrowed slightly, from -18.40% to -17.71%. Both figures are asking-price measures, not transaction prices, and the MSRP column is a mean.
Scale is relative. MarketCheck research found Lithia held 1.8% of US active listings on Oct 19, 2026, so even the largest franchise group is a small share of the national listing pool, and dealers competing locally still face many rivals.
What to watch
Lithia's Oct 2026 sold volume against Oct 2025. A second month of decline would point to acquisitions rather than organic growth carrying the revenue target.
Lithia's median days on market. If it stays near 38 days while peers sit between 22 and 33 days, watch whether the mean discount moves below the Sep 2026 level of 17.71% under MSRP.
Carvana's lead over franchise groups in sold volume, and whether the 43.3% year-on-year gain holds into later months.
Announced Lithia acquisitions in the coming quarters, as the measurable route from current volume toward the stated target.
How this was measured
Sales are new and used vehicles that left US franchise and independent dealer websites, Sep 2026 against Sep 2025, the latest complete month, and the data lags about two months. Prices are advertised asking prices, not transaction prices, and off-market figures are last-list prices used as a sold proxy. Auctions and private sales are excluded. Year-on-year percentages are computed from the unit counts shown. Days on market and miles are medians; the MSRP column is a mean.
The source is MarketCheck data, specifically MarketCheck sold-vehicle statistics for dealer groups, Sep 2025 and Sep 2026, read through the MarketCheck Sold Summary API (the get_sold_summary tool in the MarketCheck MCP; docs Sold Summary tool). API keys: MarketCheck developer portal.
The story we checked
"Lithia Motors Reports Q3 2026 Earnings, Declares Dividend, and Outlines Ambitious Long-Term Growth", Investing.com, Oct 21, 2026. Fact-check tally: 4 verified, 1 unverifiable. Verified: Lithia beat Q3 2026 analyst estimates (MarketBeat, Zacks); same-store revenue fell 1.4% year on year (MarketBeat, TradingView); the long-term revenue target of $75 billion to $100 billion (247wallst, MarketBeat); and that Lithia's existing stores are selling fewer vehicles (MarketCheck sold-vehicle data, US dealer websites, Sep 2025 and Sep 2026). Unverifiable: the declared dividend, for which the story is the only source. Reports disagree on the adjusted EPS figure, so this piece does not quote it, and the MarketCheck data covers dealer-website sales, not revenue.
You can run the same read in MarketCheck AI Desk: https://ai.marketcheck.com/install.
Reproduce this
- search_past_90_days: Pull listings that left US dealer websites in the last 90 days at their last asking price to see recent movement by group.
- search_active_cars: Filter live dealer listings by group and body style to compare current inventory against the Sep 2026 picture.
- generate_market_movers: Check what is moving in one US metro where the large groups compete head to head.
The story we checkedLithia Motors Reports Q3 2026 Earnings, Declares Dividend, and Outlines Ambitious Long-Term Growth, Investing.com, Oct 21, 2026
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