The Incas invented the wheel, but only used it in toys. As far as I know, none of the New World cultures and civilizations ever used it. They carried stuff, or used pack animals.

The Egyptians had extremely sophisticated chariots, I watched a show on TV about them the other day. They were made of several different types of wood, each specialized for certain uses and fashioned together very ingeniously so that every part served several simultaneous support and reinforcing functions(to add strength and save weight). They were light, fast, durable, made up of standard interchangeable parts for ease of manufacture and repair and designed to be dismantled and carried over rough terrain where they could be quickly assembled and deployed on flat country suitable for battle. It took them centuries of improvement over their initial design (copied from their rivals in the Middle East) before it finally evolved into its final form: the "most advanced fighting machine of antiquity". And yet, as far as I know, they never used wagons or carts for simple transport or trade

The ancient Japanese were familiar with the wheel, but officially forbid its use, saying it would cause too much damage to the roads. They used porters and beasts for trade, and sedan chairs and litters to transport dignitaries.

Funny thing about technology. Although an island people highly dependent on the sea, the ancient Japanese built very clumsy and relatively unseaworthy boats, although it is said they were beautiful in appearance and boasted superb craftsmanship. The ancient Japanese were fishermen and coastal traders, but never engaged heavily in overseas commerce and relied on foreign designs for their warships. In contrast, modern Japan is an advanced seafaring nation, with a proud maritime tradition.

On the other hand, Chinese ships were very large, highly advanced, efficient and practical, extremely seaworthy, and could carry heavy cargoes over long distances--against the wind. They were equipped with many innovations that Europeans would not discover for centuries, like an efficient fore-and-aft rig suitable for windward sailing and adaptable to a wide variety of wind conditions, the centerline rudder, compartmentalized cargo spaces below, compass navigation, even tanker construction for carrying bulk fluid cargoes.

There is much research on the effect of technology on culture, but it probably works the other way as well.