I get you now. But I still feel like "car" is intended to be (or ought to be) narrowly defined as a 1000-lb metal box on wheels with an engine. I think referring to other vehicles as "cars" just muddles the discourse.
Then again, I'm conflicted. If I replace "car" with another word like "meat" or "milk", I have a different reaction. If someone wrote an article about factory-farm chickens vs free-range chickens and said, "There really is no such thing as 'good' meat," I'd definitely chime in with, "What about vegan meat?"
Maybe it's because I perceive the gap between animal meat and vegan meat as narrower than the gap between 1000-lb metal boxes with engines and other types of vehicles. Like... if I have to pedal, it's not a car.