I'll give a completely honest opinion here...
The average "Joe" does not really need the high quality you get with a wheel company like HRE. If he is into driving up and down the local hot spots and just cruising around town, almost any wheel will do. The difference between a no name or mediocre brand and a brand like HRE, comes evident when you start bringing your car to the track, pushing the limits and continuously drive the car hard. That is what separates companies like HRE from the other guys. You probably do see a ton of cars rolling on HRE's that never seen a track before, and it is partially due to wanting to have the "baller" status, but it's also piece of mind that your wheel isn't going to explode driving down the road or taking a corner. Sometimes the safety aspect is enough to make people spend more on their wheels.
I'm a stern believer in "you get what you pay for". Comparing HRE to other wheel companies is a prime example of this. Just remember, any Chinese knock off company can make a "replica" of almost any wheel design in the world, but you better believe it doesn't have the engineering behind it.