Disenfranchised groups who nevertheless could afford to buy and maintain cars? I wouldn't say cars have no positive aspects, but they have been heavily marketed on the idea that they give you freedom (few car ads will show a traffic jam, it's always a gloriously open road...), but their cost, in terms of pollution, urban sprawl, and injuries is quite high.

I wouldn't know, I don't own a car because I don't need one. If it's possible to live without a car in a society where cars are everywhere, it's highly probable that if cars were never a thing, the infrastructure would allow you to have the same amount of personal freedom, without the downsides of cars.