I think the article's broader point still stands: Honda built a platform with enough foresight and flexibility that it could be continuously refined rather than scrapped and replaced every few years

True, but this is actually common for engine manufacturers. Most manufacturers have an engine series that spans multiple decades.

> rather than scrapped and replaced every few years

This doesn’t really happen for mainstream engines. Maybe for specialty and exotic engines, but not the engines you see powering the commuter cars and trucks on the road. Engine development is expensive. Nobody is scrapping and replacing their bread and butter engine design every few years.