Summer's Lease Hath All Too Short a Date

Overheard in the company canteen: "Well, obviously, sales guys need big-ass lease cars so that when they visit the prospect or customer, it shows that the company is doing really really well."
Why is that? Doesn't it show instead that a sizable portion of the 100 dollars an hour you're paying this bozo is spent on his company-paid, gas-guzzling, penis-extending vehicle, and could be spent more wisely?