For about as long as US drivers have been buying cars, they’ve been doing it through dealers, who distribute vehicles and allow in-person customers to do trade-ins, access financing and negotiate prices. But they also eat into carmakers’ profits, and some manufacturers are anxious to break free. Among the first to sell cars directly to consumers were then-upstart EV companies such as Tesla Inc., which famously built its own showrooms instead of establishing a dealer network. Now legacy automakers including VW and Honda Motor Co. are taking their first stab at direct sales with new EV brands like VW’s Scout line.