Yes and no. Politics, infrastructure and logistics. They are big pieces of pipe, even if it was cross town moving them in a single piece would have been tricky.

The O-rings were only necessary because politics had dictated that the boosters were to be built so far away that they could not be shipped to the launch site as a single piece.

Seconded on #2. “It’s highly possible” is straight up conjecture and not supported by evidence. Show some proof or change the headline.

You nicely sum up my understanding of the disaster and the headline (along with various excerpts you identify) are click-baity. I doubt any of this really surprises you.

Came here to say this. The o-ring was just a part. It was a bad design flaw to blame - the joint was faulty in several ways. They had also seen blow-by (gases leaking) on previous launches and didn’t address it. O-ring erosion had been seen since the earliest shuttle launches too because the design allowed the parts…

Remember when we had an automotive industry?

What I heard from business and educational leaders was that they thought Vietnam could do more than make shoes and T-Shirts, and that development of technical training, improved infrastructure, foreign investment and home market companies was the roadmap to get there.

I have a buddy who had a 550i that got the Customer Care Package.

Vinfast have recently been mooted as the purchasers of Holden’s test track facilities at Lang Lang in Victoria.

I stand by what I said. What I heard from business and educational leaders was that they thought Vietnam could do more than make shoes and T-Shirts, and that development of technical training, improved infrastructure, foreign investment and home market companies was the roadmap to get there.

Aspires to be an industrial power? You think they’re in the 19th century?

As someone who has spent a bit of time in Vietnam for work and school, I thought I would ad some context. Vietnam aspires to be an industrial power, and having an auto industry puts you on that path. The VinFast lineup will be selling against imports sold under steep tariffs.

1. Not that uncommon and parts not that hard to get. Of course it depends on the model. Keep in mind China, home of a huge GM operation, is right next door.

I disagree. Holden is still in Australia. They use a lot of GM parts and keep suppplies in stock. 

I can’t imagine GM engines are super common in Vietnam. You’d probably have to wait forever for parts

I saw an 8 year old 328i declared a total loss because the timing chain cover was cracked in an accident. The cost to repair the sheet metal wasn’t bad and no airbags went off. The cost to replace the timing chain cover was more than the car was worth!!!

I run away from anything with direct injection or a Hot V configuration. I mean, I like me some hot V, but there’s no room for that in my car.

The earliest ones (pre-2013, which is when they released the N63TU) are the worst.

When I look at ads for the F01 750i here it’s pretty much just a question of whether it will say “rebuilt” or “replaced” about the engine. Finding one today without a lot of engine work done is rare.

All that money, and they couldn’t even spring for a version of—or imitate—the good MultiContour seats that were in the F15 X5?