What possibly happened (alternative version): "Shit, I don't think we can hit these performance targets and stay under the emissions limits." "Hmmmm... I thin

What possibly happened (alternative version): "Shit, I don't think we can hit these performance targets and stay under the emissions limits." "Hmmmm... I think you're right." "The boss is not going to be happy. I guess no bonus for us this year!" "Hmmm... What if we wrote some code for the ECU to detect when the vehicle's being tested and dial down the performance? "What, are you serious?" "Yeah, that way it'll still meet the emissions standards, and hit the performance targets, right?" "No way, man. Das ist verboten, dude. The boss'll never go for it!" "He doesn't have to know! Nobody has to know. We just slip the code into the ECU when nobody's looking. Nobody's going to check it!" "I dunno, man..." "Come on! You want that bonus, don't you? Think of all the lederhosen you can buy!" Paul Kedrosky wrote about this type of scenario: http://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/an-engineering-theory-of-the-volkswagen-scandal http://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/an-engineering-th...