[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 199 (Wednesday, October 15, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53640-53642]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-27227]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION
[File Nos. 9723141 and 9523098]
Volkswagen of America, Inc., and Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A.,
Inc.; Analysis To Aid Public Comment
AGENCY: Federal Trade Commission.
ACTION: Proposed consent agreement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The consent agreements in these matters settle alleged
violations of federal law prohibiting unfair or deceptive acts or
practices or unfair methods of competition. The attached Analysis to
Aid Public Comment describes both the allegations in the draft
complaints that accompany the consent agreements and the terms of the
consent orders--embodied in the consent agreements--that would settle
these allegations.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before December 15, 1997.
ADDRESSES: Comment should be directed to: FTC/Office of the Secretary,
Room 159, 6th St. and Pa. Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20580.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Medine, Federal Trade
Commission, S-4429, 6th St. and Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC
20580. (202) 326-3224.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to section 6(f) of the Federal
Trade Commission Act, 38 Stat. 721, 15 U.S.C. 46, and Sec. 2.34 of the
Commission's rules of practice (16 CFR 2.34), notice is hereby given
that the above-captioned consent agreement containing consent orders to
cease and desist, having been filed with and accepted, subject to final
approval, by the Commission, have been placed on the public record for
a period of sixty (60) days. The following Analysis to Aid Public
Comment describes the terms of the consent agreements, and the
allegations in the
[[Page 53641]]
accompanying complaints. Electronic copies of the full text of the
consent agreement packages can be obtained from the Commission Actions
section of the FTC Home Page (for October 7, 1997), on the World Wide
Web, at ``http://www.ftc.gov/os/actions97.htm.'' Paper copies can be
obtained from the FTC Public Reference Room, Room H-130, Sixth Street
and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20580, either in person or
by calling (202) 326-3627. Public comment is invited. Such comments or
views will be considered by the Commission and will be available for
inspection and copying at its principal office in accordance with
Sec. 4.9(b)(6)(ii) of the Commission's rules of practice (16 CFR
4.9(b)(6)(ii)).
Analysis of Proposed Consent Orders To Aid Public Comment
The Federal Trade Commission has accepted separate agreements,
subject to final approval, to proposed consent orders from Toyota Motor
Sales, U.S.A., Inc. (``Toyota'') and Volkswagen of America, Inc.
(``Volkswagen'') (collectively referred to as ``respondents).
The proposed consent orders have been placed on the public record
for sixty (60) days for reception of comments by interested persons.
Comments received during this period will become part of the public
record. After sixty (60) days, the Commission will again review the
agreements and the comments received and will decide whether it should
withdraw from the agreements or make final the agreements' proposed
orders.
The complaints allege that the respondents' automobile lease
advertisements violate the Federal Trade Commission Act (``FTC Act''),
the Consumer Leasing Act (``CLA''), and Regulation M. Section 5 of the
FTC Act prohibits false, misleading, or deceptive representations or
omissions of material information in advertisements. In addition,
Congress established statutory disclosure requirements for lease
advertising under the CLA and directed the Federal Reserve Board
(``Board'') to promulgate regulations implementing this statutue--
Regulation M. See 15 U.S.C. 1667-1667e; 12 CFR part 213. On September
30, 1996, Congress passed revisions to the CLA that became optionally
effective immediately and that have been implemented through the
Board's recent revisions to Regulation M. See Title II, section 2605 of
the Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 1997, Pub.
L. 104-208, 110 Stat. 3009, 3009-473 (Sept. 30, 1996) (``revised
CLA''); 61 FR 52,246 (October 7, 1996), 62 FR 15,364 (April 1, 1997),
and 62 FR 16,053 (April 4, 1997) (together ``revised Regulation M'')
(to be codified at 12 CFR 213), as amended.
The complaints against Toyota and Volkswagen allege that
respondents' automobile lease advertisements represent that a
particular amount stated as ``down'' or ``due at lease signing'' is the
total amount consumers must pay at the initiation of a lease agreement
to lease the advertised vehicles. This representation is false,
according to the complaints, because consumers must pay additional fees
beyond the amount stated as ``down'' or ``due at lease signing,'' such
as a capitalized cost reduction, security deposit, first month's
payment and/or an acquisition fee, to lease the advertised vehicles.
The complaints also allege that respondents fail to disclose adequately
lease inception fees, often highlighting only a low monthly payment, in
their advertisements. These practices, according to the complaints,
constitute deceptive acts or practices in violation of section 5(a) of
the FTC Act.
The complaints further allege that respondents' lease
advertisements fail to disclose the terms of the offered lease in a
clear and conspicuous manner, as required by the CLA and Regulation M.
According to the complaints, respondents' television lease disclosures
are not clear and conspicuous because they appear on the screen in
small type, against a background of similar shade, for a very short
duration, and/or over a moving background. The Toyota complaint also
alleges that Toyota's fine print disclosures of lease terms in direct
mail advertisements are not clear and conspicuous. The complaints,
therefore, allege that respondents' failure to disclose lease terms in
a clear and conspicuous manner violates the CLA and Regulation M. These
alleged practices would also violate the advertising disclosure
requirements of the revised CLA and the revised Regulation M.
The proposed consent orders contain provisions designed to remedy
the violations charged and to prevent the respondents from engaging in
similar acts and practices in the future. Specifically, subparagraph
I.A. of the proposed orders prohibits respondents, in any lease
advertisement, from misrepresenting the total amount due at lease
signing or delivery, the amount down, and/or the downpayment,
capitalized cost reduction, or other amount that reduces the
capitalized cost of the vehicle (or that no such amount is required).
Subparagraph I.B. of the proposed orders also prohibits respondents, in
any lease advertisement, from making any reference to any charge that
is part of the total amount due at lease signing or delivery or that no
such amount is due, not including a statement of the periodic payment,
more prominently than the disclosure of the total amount due at lease
inception. The ``prominence'' requirement prohibits the companies from
running deceptive advertisements that highlight low amounts ``down,''
with inadequate disclosures of actual total inception fees. This
``prominence'' requirement for lease inception fees also is found in
the revised Regulation M recently adopted by the Board.
Moreover, subparagraph I.C. of the proposed orders prohibits
respondents, in any lease advertisement, from stating the amount of any
payment or that any or no initial payment is required at consummation
of the lease, unless the ad also states: (1) That the transaction
advertised is a lease; (2) the total amount due at lease signing or
delivery; (3) whether or not a security deposit is required; (4) the
number, amount, and timing of scheduled payments; and (5) that an extra
charge may be imposed at the end of the lease term where the liability
of the consumer at lease end is based on the anticipated residual value
of the vehicle. The information enumerated above must be displayed in
the lease advertisement in a clear and conspicuous manner. This
approach is consistent with the lease advertising disclosure
requirements of the revised CLA and the revised Regulation M.
Paragraph II of the proposed orders provides that lease
advertisements that comply with the disclosure requirements of
subparagraph I.C. of the orders shall be deemed to comply with section
184(a) of the CLA, as amended, or Sec. 213.7(d)(2) of the revised
Regulation M, as amended.
Paragraph III of the proposed orders provides that certain future
changes to the CLA or Regulation M will be incorporated into the
orders. Specifically, subparagraphs I.B. and I.C. will be amended to
incorporate future CLA or Regulation M required advertising disclosures
that differ from those required by the above order paragraphs. In
addition, the definition of ``total amount due at lease signing or
delivery,'' as it applies to subparagraphs I.B. and I.C. only, will be
amended in the same manner. The orders provide that all other order
requirements, including the definition of ``clearly and
conspicuously,'' will survive any such revisions.
The information required by subparagraph I.C. must be disclosed
``clearly and conspicuously'' as defined in the proposed orders. The
``clear and
[[Page 53642]]
conspicuous'' definition requires that respondents present such lease
information within the advertisement in a manner that is readable [or
audible] and understandable to a reasonable consumer. This definition
is consistent with the ``clear and conspicuous'' requirement for
advertising disclosures in the revised Regulation M that requires
disclosures that consumers can see and read (or hear) and comprehend
and in prior Commission orders and statements, interpreting Section 5's
prohibition of deceptive acts and practices, that require advertising
disclosures that are readable (or audible) and understandable to
reasonable consumers.
The purpose of this analysis is to facilitate public comment on the
proposed orders, and it is not intended to constitute an official
interpretation of the agreements and proposed orders or to modify in
any way their terms.
Donald S. Clark,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 97-27227 Filed 10-14-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6750-01-M