Ringbrothers goes back to Blazer, USA-made Polestar 3, more Civic sedan details

Ringbrothers K5 Blazer benefits Omaze charity

Intake: Ringbrothers, the Wisconsin company famous for building gorgeous Pro-Touring muscle cars with reimagined interiors and modern powertrains, has once again set its sights on a first-generation Chevrolet K5 Blazer. Like the company’s previous Blazer build, this one appears more “resto” than “mod” until you dig a little deeper. It’s powered by an LS3 V-8 backed by a Bowler automatic transmission and rides on a set of custom HRE wheels. The SUV will be given away as part of a sweepstakes headed by Omaze that benefits Veterans Coalition for Vaccination as well as Team Rubicon, a humanitarian organization that mobilizes veterans, first responders, and volunteers to help communities during disasters and times of need.

Exhaust: The popularity of ’60s and ’70s trucks and 4x4s is still sky-high and Ringbrothers have proven it knows its way around a K5. That’s a recipe that will ensure this build will bring a lot of aid to some deserving charities and we’re going to make sure to get a closer look at this Blazer before it’s sent on to its lucky new owner.

Polestar 3 will be brand’s first vehicle built in the U.S.

Intake: Polestar announced that the upcoming Polestar 3 all-electric SUV would be built in South Carolina, the first vehicle from the brand built outside of China. Polestar 3 will also be the first vehicle built on a new electric vehicle architecture from Volvo Car Group engineered with electric power in mind from the start. Volvo broke ground at its South Carolina factory—the brand’s first in America—in 2015 before the Polestar brand even officially existed. Expect the Polestar 3 to go on sale in 2022 with high-end safety features and semi-autonomous driving.

Exhaust: A vehicle’s country of origin matters to quite a lot of buyers, although a Venn diagram of those concerned consumers and potential Polestar buyers might not have much overlap. Regardless, we’re happy to see South Carolina get a piece of the electric car manufacturing market with what may prove to be a very sleek and practical EV.

Honda’s 11th-gen Civic sedan starts at $22,995

Intake: Honda unveiled pricing for the 11th-generation Civic sedan today. The famously egalitarian compact car will start at just $22,995 for the modest LX, including a $995 destination fee. In ascending order, you can nab a Sport for $24,095, an EX for 25,695, or a Touring for $29,295, all including destination fee. As before, LX and Sport trims get a 158 horsepower naturally-aspirated 2.0-liter four, while the EX and Touring models will offer a turbocharged 1.5-liter four. The new Civic arrives at Honda dealerships nationwide today.

Exhaust: We’re bummed to see that the Civic Sport continues to offer the 2.0-liter four-cylinder instead of the hatchback’s 1.5-liter turbocharged engine. In the 10th generation civic, that turbo hatch felt like the sweet spot of the lineup, not to mention a delightfully tuner-friendly engine. Hagerty social media manager Matt Lewis is the proud owner of a 10th-generation turbocharged Civic Sport. “Not only do I firmly believe turbo engines are more fun, the tuning options and easy horsepower gains in a turbo are just so much better than an N/A engine.” Expect the Civic to be a big hit among the few remaining crossover holdouts. The five-door is on the way, and if Honda is smart it will have replaced the outgoing Si Coupe with an Si hatchback.

2022 Telluride get a healthy dose of standard tech and a dash of price increases

Intake: Its grille bejeweled with Kia’s new, upscale logo, the Telluride enters the 2022 model year fortified with larger screens and a more robust suite of driver-assist tech. Gone is the 8.0-inch center display; the 10.25-incher is now standard, as is blind-spot avoidance assist and rear cross-traffic alert, plus lane-keeping and lane-following. Unfortunately, the slick 12.3-inch digital instrument display found in the Palisade remains forbidden to its crosstown rival. Kia has, however, added a fifth trim to compete with the top-tier Palisade Calligraphy: expect the newly arrived SX-P to arrive with standard AWD and every option box ticked. Price increases for 2022 are minimal but reflect the added tech on lower trim levels, with the LX and S trims up $600 and $700, respectively.

Exhaust: The absence of the digital instrument cluster remains a niggling frustration in the Telluride’s otherwise tech-laden interior. However, Kia clearly wants the Telluride positioned as a value buy, even compared to its Hyundai twin: Except for the base S model, the price of each 2022 Telluride trim undercuts its Palisade equivalent.

Workhorse sues to halt USPS fleet deal with Oshkosh Defense

Intake: Four months after the U.S. Postal Service selected Oshkosh Defense to manufacture a new generation of delivery vehicles, electric vehicle company Workhorse Group has filed a legal challenge to stop the deal. The 10-year contract, which could be worth more than $6 billion in total, allows for delivery of a mix of 50,000–165,000 internal combustion-powered and battery-electric vehicles. Workhorse Group had proposed building an all-electric vehicle fleet and has the support of many U.S. lawmakers. Workhorse did not elaborate on what grounds the filing is based. Bloomberg reports that a judge will likely unseal a version of the complaint in the coming weeks.

Exhaust: We’re nine years past the LLV’s original expiration date, and it’s been six years since the USPS began seriously looking for a replacement. Looks we may be waiting a little longer.