Thank you Captain M and Peterposh for your interventions. I was wrong about Largest Companies. I should have said Largest Export Companies based on total profit : 1) Daimler which make Mercedes $9.3 Billion, 2) Volkswagen Group $7.1 Billion, 3) BMW Group $7.1 Billion. These three companies combined have higher total annual profit then the other seven of the top ten Export Companies combined. These figures were calculated May 2016. Perhaps they refer to year 2015, I don't know. And the place I got that info from may be inaccurate:
Top 10 largest German companies in 2017! - Welcome Center Germany
Yes. Like you, my understanding of the cheat method employed by VW is that it was software based. My understanding is that the documentary said that in lab tests the cheat was not detectible for as long as the steering wheel was not moved. My understanding is that the front wheels are locked in place during lab tests while the vehicle is being tested running on rollers. During Real Live Road Tests where the steering wheel was being moved, the emissions figures were very different to those measured in the lab.
It is my understanding that the testers in the US concluded that a Defeat Device was being used by VW. In my earlier post I referred to the VW software cheat as a device as if it was a physical object. I apologise for causing any confusion this may have caused. Software developers often speak of their programmes as if they were physical objects, like 'Tools' for example. Insurance companies talk about their 'Products' (?). Margaret Thatcher rebranded NHS patients as 'Customers' (?).
MOT Tests. I currently live in Northern Ireland. I lived in England for many years. MOT tests here are completely different to those in England. Tests here are run entirely by the Government - Driver and Vehicle Agency - in Government owned buildings - staffed by Government employees. So I imagine the MOT test here is very similar to what you experienced in Germany. I wouldn't expect an MOT tester either here or in Germany to be able to detect a software cheat that the most highly qualified and experienced vehicle testers in the US were uable to uncover. All they knew was that a 'Defeat Device' was definitely being used.
According to the Documentary there is a caveat in German Legislation that gives the German Car Industry a 'get out clause' should they choose to use it. And the German Government doesn't know this? Even after DieselGate? Perhaps.
As for the relationship between Germany's Largest Export Industry and the German Government, I would strongly recommend that you watch the Netfilx Documentary 'Dirty Money' Episode 1 and come to your own understanding.
I have been visiting 'The Real News Network' for a while now: a pretty hard hitting place (not VW related). But Netflix 'Dirty Money' hit me unexpectedly hard. It shook me.
https://www.netflix.com/title/80118100
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