The German govt was a silent partner in the conspiracy. The EU emmisions regulations were used as a non tariff barrier to the advantage of the German diesel and car makers. The next shoe to drop will be the conspiracy of heavy duty truck and equipment manufactures.
Hmm. IIRC, companies in Europe such as Groupe PSA (Peugeot, Citroen, etc.) have an arrangement with American automakers where diesel power is concerned. Ford (for example) ships large diesel engines to Europe for use in delivery trucks while PSA ships light diesels to Ford of Europe for its automobiles.
Other similar trade agreements may be woven into this mess and may be attacked in the media as methods to circumvent environmental standards and other nonsense.
What did Merkel know, and when did she know it?
When governments Wave their magic green wand of regulations setting impossible standards and deadlines what can you expect.
Now Governments need to explain why all their regulations are the same (sounds like collusion).
Also how is it that all their testing says that the air is cleaner if all this cheating is going on?
Are they cheating on their numbers like they have with Gorebal warming?