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This semi-autonomous stroller from VW is a great idea

We're still on the fence about the prospect of autonomous vehicles. On the one hand, they promise to make commuting a breeze and collisions a thing of the past. On the other, they stand to take us away from the steering wheel, and that's something we can't abide. But an autonomous stroller, now that's the kind of idea we can get behind. Shame such a thing doesn't exist... right? That's what we assumed until we saw this spot from Volkswagen. The German automaker's Dutch office posted on Facebook, asking the public for suggestions on how the company might improve other products, aside from automobiles. The most popular response was a baby stroller with automatic braking. So they went ahead and built one. The resulting prototype – and we're sorry to report that it's just a prototype for the time being – doesn't just have automatic braking. It can even follow the parent (or nanny or whomever) around under its own power and with its own steering. It's got the adaptive cruise control sensor from a Golf and is programmed to keep a fixed distance from the guardian in front. Or so the video suggests, at any rate. There's a good chance that there's some manner of trickery going on here, probably in the form of a hidden engineer off-screen with a remote control, and hopefully without an actual baby on board. Whether it's real or not, the invention in the commercial is sure to pique the interest of the parents among us, and maybe get those without kids thinking about taking that big step... stroller autonomously in tow.

Renault to name VW manager Luca De Meo as CEO

PARIS — Renault's board is set to meet later on Tuesday to approve the nomination of Luca de Meo, the former head of Volkswagen's Seat brand, as its next chief executive, two sources familiar with the matter said. The Italian-born executive, who stepped down from Seat earlier this month, is not due to take up his post at the French carmaker until towards July, due to negotiations around his contract, according to one of the sources. Renault declined to comment. De Meo is not expected to face any last minute hurdles in his nomination, and has already won tacit backing from parties including the French government, a Renault shareholder. His appointment fills one of the major gaps left at the firm as it tries to move past a year of turmoil following the 2018 arrest in Tokyo of former boss-turned-fugitive Carlos Ghosn, and reset its strained alliance with Japan's Nissan. Ghosn, who forged and oversaw the Renault-Nissan partnership for almost two decades, has since fled Japan and resettled in Lebanon, from where he has contested the financial misconduct charges against him and said the alliance was at risk of collapse. De Meo, along with Renault Chairman Jean-Dominique Senard, brought in last January from tire maker Michelin, will have his work cut out to turn around the firm. Like rivals, Renault is grappling with a downturn in demand, and has said it expects a slight decline in the car market in Europe, Russia and China this year. The firm has also presented 2020 as a make-or-break year for the alliance with Nissan and is under pressure to deliver on cost savings and joint projects. Automakers face pressure to meet stringent new emissions targets with less polluting models, and are also competing to produce innovations such as self-driving cars, which require large investments. De Meo, who speaks French, will be one of a growing handful of outsiders in senior company jobs in France. The 52-year-old started his career at Renault and has worked at Fiat and Audi among other brands. He is credited with revitalizing sales at Barcelona-based Seat, imbuing it with a more sporty image, though his portfolio will be markedly larger at Renault, whose brands include Dacia and Lada. Renault's finance chief Clotilde Delbos has been CEO on an interim basis since last October, when Thierry Bollore, a former Ghosn ally, was ousted by the board. Related Video:     Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Rumormill Volkswagen Renault

Autoblog's Editors' Picks: Our complete list of the best new vehicles

It's not easy to earn an “EditorsÂ’ Picks” at Autoblog as part of the rating and review process that every new vehicle goes through. Our editors have been at it a long time, which means weÂ’ve driven and reviewed virtually every new car you can go buy on the dealer lot. There are disagreements, of course, and all vehicles have their strengths and weaknesses, but this list features what we think are the best new vehicles chosen by Autoblog editors. We started this formal review process back in 2018, so there's quite of few of them now. So what does it mean to be an EditorsÂ’ Pick? In short, it means itÂ’s a car that we can highly recommend purchasing. There may be one, multiple, or even zero vehicles in any given segment that we give the green light to. What really matters is that itÂ’s a vehicle that weÂ’d tell a friend or family member to go buy if theyÂ’re considering it, because itÂ’s a very good car. The best way to use this list is is with the navigation links below. Click on a segment, and you'll quickly arrive at the top rated pickup truck or SUV, for example. Use the back button to return to these links and search in another segment, like sedans. If youÂ’ve been keeping up with our monthly series of the latest vehicles to earn EditorsÂ’ Pick status, youÂ’re likely going to be familiar with this list already. If not, welcome to the complete list that weÂ’ll be keeping updated as vehicles enter (and others perhaps exit) the good graces of our editorial team. We rate a new car — giving it a numerical score out of 10 — every time thereÂ’s a significant refresh or if it happens to be an all-new model. Any given vehicle may be impressive on a first drive, but we wait until itÂ’s in the hands of our editors to put it through the same type of testing as every other vehicle that rolls through our test fleet before giving it the EditorsÂ’ Pick badge. This ensures consistency and allows more voices to be heard on each individual model. And just so you donÂ’t think weÂ’ve skipped trims or variants of a model, we hand out the EditorsÂ’ Pick based on the overarching model to keep things consistent. So, when you read that the 3 Series is an EditorsÂ’ Pick, yes, that includes the 330i to the M3 and all the variants in between. If thereÂ’s a particular version of that car we vehemently disagree with, we make sure to call that out.