Ah, Exxon wasn’t involved in this scandal but you’re ignoring large systemic pushes by oil and car companies (in this case GM and Standard Oil) to increase people’s need for oil. [1]
It’s nice to have us all bickering about which cars we own when most of us shouldn’t need a car at all.
The fact that cars gives freedom and mobility for a low price is not some conspiracy. Sure - some companies benefitted greatly from the car, but i say it's not a cause/effect relationship.
It's like blaming tobacco companies for the human brain's natural addictive nature to nicotine. They are not to blame - they are merely supplying a product that other humans demand (despite it being patently bad for them).