So who is leasing, and why?

So who is leasing, and why?

More new vehicles were leased in the first half of 2016 than any other January through June, according to the latest Lease Market Report from Edmunds.com. The numbers show a 13 percent increase from a year earlier.

Leasing is increasingly seen as a way to make monthly payments affordable. Though leasing has long been used for luxury vehicles, the increase in leasing is coming from nontraditional segments such as pickups and compact cars, Edmunds says.

Nontraditional consumers are also leasing more. Although millennials show a larger lease penetration than any other group, the most growth has come from buyers 75 and older. And women are more likely to lease than men. All those groups could be swayed by the smaller cash flow needed for leasing.