I guess soon enough they will be turning out engineers, too, but in the meantime, it seems the Chinese do not develop anything on their own — especially if they can pilfer it or buy it at a fire sale.

Ideally, I’d like to keep my MCS for a long time, perhaps even giving it to my first kid at 16. Of course, knowing the number of issues MINIs have had, the long-term build quality remains to be seen.

http://www.leftlanenews.com/2006/02/17/bmw-officially-announces-new-n54-turbo-engine/

Chinese Tritec parts at your local Walmat?

For the record, I own an ’05 MCS.

Seeing as DC just came out with a 1.8, 2.0 and 2.4 liter 4 (Dodge Calibur, Jeep Compass), I can easily see the Tritec being abandoned. Another solid powerplant down the drain all for the sake of “new tech.”

That reminds me of my other car, a ’99 Olds Intrigue. Arguably GM’s best sedan at the time, it used a 3.5L DOHC V6 that ended up in Ward’s Top 10 engines list. Problem was, it was only ever offered in the Intrigue and the redesigned Aurora. To only be in 2 models out of GM’s vast product portfolio is not good for an engine’s longevity. Needless to say, the engine was abandoned after Olds was killed. It was replaced by the 3.6 “high-feature” V6.

But all that aside don’t let this you from buying the current car. BMW will stock plenty of engines and engine parts for decades to come.

Export Neons and PT Cruisers have all but disappeared from the marketplace outside the US, thus Chrysler’s grand plans with the Tritec have basically dried up. With the Hornet concept Chrysler may resurrect them but even if it is built the engine choice is anything but clear at this point.

So please know the subject before you attack the authors credibility.

“Similarly Chrysler products originally planned for the engine have been disasters in the market place and are no longer in production.”

Who the heck wrote this? The above sentance makes me question the credibility of this story, or at least its author’s knowledge of the engine.