The unusual step of mixing politics with business is also echoed by some U.S companies, and a senior Microsoft executive in Germany has encouraged staff to go to the polls. The stakes are higher this time, though, with the rise of populists, eurosceptics and far-right parties posing a threat to the EU's democratic values. Latest figures showed that these disparate groups are set to increase their share of seats at the expense of the mainstream groups. Germany's Volkswagen, the world's largest carmaker which makes half of its sales in Europe, has appealed in 16 languages to its 490,000 European employees to cast their vote, saying that a united Europe is in everybody's interests. To promote its campaign "Volkswagen Votes for Europe", the company has unfurled a huge banner with the slogan on its Wolfsburg plant, one of the world's biggest factories. German carrier Lufthansa has painted its new global brand campaign "SayYesToEurope" on the fuselage of an Airbus A320. German engineering giant ThyssenKrupp has issued a series of brightly coloured posters and a tagline "Europe is us".
The corporate activity is not restricted to Germany, where the pre-EU heritage of war is particularly keenly felt and whose manufacturers are notable beneficiaries of open markets. With a presence across the EU, the company said it made sense for it to promote voter engagement in the EU elections. Spanish energy producer Iberdrola had a similar message. Writing in German newspaper Handelsblatt last month, CEO Ignacio Galan said only a more united Europe could provide prosperity and security to its 500 million citizens. U.S. industrial conglomerate 3M said American companies also have a fundamental interest in a "strong and open" Europe. It has posted three videos on YouTube, featuring leading EU party candidates, to encourage its 18,000 employees in the bloc to vote. Maxime Bureau, 3M's Government Affairs Director in Brussels. He said a weakening of the EU that could follow from a loss of voter participation posed a risk to that. While Microsoft has not issued any statement on the elections, its managing director for Germany Sabine Bendiek has taken to Twitter and Linkedin to urge voter turnout in the interest of a strong EU economy and a socially balanced policy. U.S. e-scooter company Lime is doing its share by giving people free rides to polling stations on election day in 12 EU countries. New corporate interest could be a byproduct of Britain's 2016 vote to leave the EU, said Fabian Zuleeg, who heads Brussels think-tank the European Policy Centre. While the corporate push will affect only a small number of people, it underlines a growing business awareness of the wider political environment.
But the MKZ is the most dramatic so far, however, and manufacturer Lincoln - which is owned by Ford - has just unveiled the production version, which will be in dealerships next year. Blue sky thinking: Volkswagen introduced 'panoramic sunroofs'on the 2009 Jetta SportWagon. The sunroof, which is 4ft 1in long and 3ft 7in wide slides back on two rails and has a gentle curve which mimics the shape of the rear of the car. At full extension it opens up a 2ft 4in by 1ft 7in gap that covers front and rear passengers. The tempered glass is 5mm thick and is SPF 100, giving passengers complete protection from the sun鈥檚 rays when closed. And when driving at speed a wind deflector, a piece of toughened plastic a few inches high, comes up at the front of the sunroof to stop it getting to windy in the car. To try and lure in customers Lincoln has also completely done away with the gear stick and has just a set of buttons which allow you to change gear if you are not in the default automatic setting. In place of the gearstick is a two-level storage area, with space for a mobile phone. Lincoln hopes that the car will bring it success it badly needs - in the 1990s it was the highest selling luxury car brand, but last year it sold just 85,000 models, half the number of Lexus cars sold. The MKZ has a two-litre, 240-horsepower EcoBoost four-cylinder engine and three power options - including a hybrid that can get 41 miles per gallon.
The Volkswagen Jetta is the German automaker's long-standing compact sedan that it's been building for seven generations in the U.S. Competitors include the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Ford Focus, Chevy Cruze Nissan Sentra, Kia Rio and Hyundai Elantra. Volkswagen introduced the seventh-generation Jetta at the 2018 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan. The four-door sedan, which uses the MQB platform of the VW Golf compact hatchback and Atlas large crossover, is being produced at the German automaker鈥檚 Puebla plant in Mexico. Owing to the new platform, the seventh-generation Jetta is larger and has more interior room than the Jetta of the previous generation. It also includes new interior features such as heated front seats, ten-color customizable ambient lighting, and the optional new Volkswagen Digital Cockpit. A touchscreen multimedia system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity comes as standard equipment. Volkswagen offers this Jetta in five trim levels 鈥?S, SE, R-Line, SEL, and SEL Premium鈥攁ll powered by a 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gas engine carried over from the previous generation.
