Alibaba's announcement this week that it will partner with Apple to support iPhones' artificial intelligence services ...

The direct-to-consumer model is popular with EV startup brands like Tesla, Rivian, and Lucid, and it’s the model Scout is planning to use to sell its electric and hybrid trucks and SUVs.

These are all part of the Overall Score that Consumer Reports gives to new cars it tests, and those virtues are factored into a model’s eligibility for recommendation. In addition to research ...