The 5D Classic premiered at $3499. It did not sell in big numbers. Then there was a price rebate. Eventually, the price was lowered to $3199. Then after another time interval, $2999. Then there was a series of rebates, interspersed with incremental lowerings of the retail price. Near the end of life of the 5D, the price was dropped to $2199, with occasional $1999 prices offered by various outlets to clear inventory. The current 5D-III pricing strategy has been used before. The 5D pricing strategy is not geared toward high volume sales numbers and wide,wide adoption. It is not a Digital Rebel, and the price structure is designed to maximize profit on low sales figures. Frankly, not all "that many" people have been able to afford a 5D of any iteration, and that's by design. When it's near the very end of its life, prices WILL come down.
Canon now has the new, low-cost, simple-body full-frame for this era:the 6D, which is what the original 5D and the 5D-II were: "simplified" FF bodies, with good sensors. The 5D III has been re-tooled and greatly beefed up, to compete with Nikon's mid-level FF price point offering the D800. Nikon's new management team wants to "sell more units" than the old crew, so the D800 is priced currently $703 less than the 5D-III.
Dealers need to make some profit. Canon needs to make some profit. People who want the low-cost Canon FF can buy the 6D, but the 5D-III is another animal.