There is an element of the population out there that simply does not want to deal with car salesmen ,
You can get more car for the monthly payment that way. The downside is you don't get any equity in the car. At the end of the lease you get zip.
A lot of car companies have a lot of work to do.
The used car market is a lot more regional than people realize,
The typical American is not buying a lot more car than he really needs.
The car market is extremely competitive. There are a lot of brands vying for your attention and if you do a reasonable amount of shopping and negotiating, you should be able to get a decent deal yourself.