One thing I think people sometimes fail to realize is that once you leave behind the broad core of cities in Europe, you hit areas which are just about as car-centric as the "typical" US suburbia. This includes Home Depot type places with giant parking lots and, of course, IKEA. But the big difference is that while these places are car-centric, they aren't nearly as car dependent. They're fundamentally built around the automobile being the key means of transportation, but they aren't built around the automobile being the sole means of transportation.
