I think the essay would have been better served getting to what appears to be the point much more directly:
- The VW scandal was so shocking because executives and engineers exploited a societal taboo against lying
- Was sustained for so long by exploiting another taboo against placing personal advantage over honesty
- Signs of fraud were dismissed because people assumed successful executives would never violate these taboos, leading them to accept misleading explanations and discounting the possibility of a cover-up.
- The VW scandal was so shocking because executives and engineers exploited a societal taboo against lying
- Was sustained for so long by exploiting another taboo against placing personal advantage over honesty
- Signs of fraud were dismissed because people assumed successful executives would never violate these taboos, leading them to accept misleading explanations and discounting the possibility of a cover-up.