Any time there are any rumors of anything 'shady' its because someone didn't get what they wanted.
There is absolutely no possibility that any one activity can be credited with moving the price. This includes all of the dapps put together. We can't blame or thank the car for something that's of a magnitude beyond any of ours individual means.
The goal of the car is not to onboard individual users as its main metric. We're not paying for a car to onboard bloggers. It's purpose is to provide a major visual impact and support partnerships. It's done that.