These details of emissions modes and engine control software configuration could easily explain the defeat.<p>What remains is explaining how engineering managers higher up (all the way to the top) could remain willfully ignorant of the fact that VW&#x27;s diesel engines &quot;passed&quot; emissions without resorting to exotic tech like Mercedes&#x27; bluetec exhaust fluids.  They knew there was some sort of magic in their engines that set them apart, but they either understood it was cheating, or they never asked any questions.