doubtful. Imagine if instead of everyone owning a car, we had bullet trains everywhere, and amazing public transport. Almost no traffic, much quicker intra- and inner-city commuting. Ugh. Cars, from an engineering and city planning perspective are super innefficient. Imagine all the housing, stores, and other economically beneficial things we could build instead of the hellscape of parking lots we have today.
Have you ever considered why car ownership increases as countries are getting richer? like in China or India. Car isn't only status symbol, it allows people to move more easily. Public transport is nice but not enough. Car plays an important role, regardless of how negative it's being perceived on HN.