Probably, but on the other hand, I think it gives manufactures the opportunity to inflate the retail prices of cars. For many, many people, when buying a car, it all boils down to how much the monthly payments are, not what the overall cost is should they decide to keep it, or not be able to take on another deal when their current one comes to an end.
Around 20 years ago I worked in car sales for Fiat and one of the first things I was told to try and get out of the customer was how much could they afford each month. When the first Cinquecento Sporting first came out the press was raving about them. One young lad came in desperate to buy one and told me that he could pay £150 a month. When I worked out the figures, with his deposit and our standard finance rate, he could have the car for £152 a month over 3 years. With an opportunity to earn some extra finance commission, I altered the figures so that he paid £140 a month, but over 4 years. He never even flinched, just signed the forms and off he went happy with his lower than expected monthly payments.
I'm not saying that everyone on hear is that gullible, but to many, monthly payments are all that matter...not just on cars either.