Cars represent a level of independence to us that is tough to achieve, otherwise. Go get a gallon of milk & a doz eggs, 6 miles away, on a rainy day.
Tge automobile is an engineering marvel, even to this day. People love their mechanical machines. I think we can all appreciate that. The bicycle is a much stripped down version of a car.
my thoughts on the automobile are this. I'm an avid car enthusiast. I don't wish to see the gasoline engine be come extinct. I do, on the other hand, hope to see the electric car become much more prevalent. I believe that the hybrid car is a sham. I refuse to buy a car that has two power sources which add to my maintenance costs & still feeds the oil industry & creates pollution, even if at a reduced rate. If not for the hybrid there would be a bigger push for the all electric car with a greater range of travel.
If I had my ideal, we can have our own ideal(right?), we'd all have electric commuter cars. Those of us who want or need, could have our gasoline engine powered vehicle for pleasure, or any other use where electricity isn't sensible.
Best case scenario, we use less gasoline & we use alternative modes of transportation more often(bicycle, walk, train, etc).