We're nearly four years beyond the black cloud of Volkswagen's dieselgate, and the revelations as to how it happened are still being served like all-you-can eat tapas — small plates, so you're never satisfied from a single helping, but the meal just won't end. The New York Times was privy to a new cache of documents uncovered by Germany's Bayerische Rundufunk station and the newspaper Handelsblatt. They illuminate Aud's cognizant, and perhaps leading, role in propagating the emissions cheating software. Remember, Volkswagen's official line from the beginning was about "rogue employees," and Audi has played up being shell-shocked at this travesty of environmentalism. However, according to the documents, an e-mail from an Audi engineer to his colleagues in 2008 prepared everyone for what was to come with the line, "We don't make it without a few dirty tricks. . . ."
Seems the American luxury buyer's insistence on convenience turned into a key point leading to the saga here. Audi bosses insisted that Americans wouldn't put up with needing to fill the AdBlue supplement tank. Engineers, therefore, were ordered to come up with a solution so that an Audi held enough AdBlue to last for the 10,000-mile dealer service intervals. When the bosses nixed a larger tank because that would impinge on interior space, and nixed installing a second tank because of cost concerns, well, voila. Call the cheat-code guys. . . .