MG Could Be Next Automaker to Get Apple Car Key Support

[macuser29387]

Code found in Apple's backend car key system suggests the company is preparing to add support for MG vehicles.

The discovery indicates Apple has begun preparing car key support for SAIC Motor's MG brand. With an Apple Car Key, drivers can use their iPhone or Apple Watch to lock, unlock, and start a compatible vehicle instead of relying on a traditional key fob, with support for Express Mode that works without authentication.

MG began as a British sports car marque in 1924 before China's SAIC Motor acquired the brand in 2007, and it has since become one of the fastest-growing car brands in Europe. The company recently delivered its one millionth car to a European customer, with roughly 386,000 of those sales coming from the UK alone, where MG now holds more than four percent of the market and ranks among the country's 10 largest car makers by volume. That growth has been driven in large part by MG's electric lineup, including the MG4 and MG Cyberster.

As with other backend references to expanded Apple Car Key support, the code does not indicate which MG models will be compatible or provide a timeframe for rollout, and MG has not yet announced support for the feature. Its addition to Apple's backend code does suggest, however, that its release could soon be on the way.

Article Link: MG Could Be Next Automaker to Get Apple Car Key Support

The current Chinese brand bears no resemblance - logo aside - to the classic - and genuinely iconic - British car company and I wish there were laws banning such trademark acquisitions.

That aside, for MG customers, this is great (as long as security etc are as they should be).

(Photo courtesy of Wikipedia, taken by DeFacto (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:DeFacto)

 

[69Mustang]

In terms of British car companies, MG is unknown. I just learned about it a few years ago due to some TV ads (in 2024). People do know (and relate) Mini, Land Rover and Jaguar as British related brands.

And reading that it is under SAIC's control, it even turns me away from them. They probably are a fest of rebadged cars at this point, no point on knowing them.

AFAIK, the only British car company that is British owned is Morgan (probably most famous for their car frames made of wood and their 3 wheeler)
MG - SAIC - China
Lotus - majority owned by Geely - China
JLR (Jaguar, Land Rover, Range Rover) - Tata - India
McLaren - MHC & CYVN - Bahrain and Abu Dhabi
Bentley, Rolls Royce, and Mini - Volkswagen Group - Germany

 

[trash eighty]

User name McLaren has never heard of MG. Oh dear.

To be fair, could be named after the push chair maker.

 

[montuori]

but doubt it comes to people's mind when picking cars in our current days outside of Europe.

Or, you know, Asia.

 

[CookeeTim]

AFAIK, México is part of the American continents (there are two—“central” is a construct, not a continent), and MG is a strong player over here.

Non-existent? Search https://autos.mercadolibre.com.mx

In the 3 areas I mentioned, Mexico is parth of "North",so I didnt leave any country outside.

You could argue central is a "construct", but it is kind of difficult to make it fit in either side: not "big" enough to be in the north, and not close enough to be in the South.

Returning to the topic: I see 1045 results as of right now for "MG" on there. Honda has 2105 in comparison. I wont discredit it with those numbers, but again, the car market in Mexico is another thing altogether. VW and Nissan are uber popular over there due to their local manufacturing centers.

I dont know if MG has a local manufacturing center on Mexico. If they dont, guess they are doing fairly well then.

 

[smorris]

There were over 100,000 MGA models alone imported into the USA, and many more MGB models. My tiny town of 8 thousand in rural Ohio had probably a dozen MG and Triumph sports cars. There are national MG or Triumph clubs with six digit memberships.

These were from the same era as the first Corvettes and Thunderbirds, which were designed to counter the huge influx of British sports cars.

My 1958 MGA

 

[CookeeTim]

AFAIK, the only British car company that is British owned is Morgan (probably most famous for their car frames made of wood and their 3 wheeler)
MG - SAIC - China
Lotus - majority owned by Geely - China
JLR (Jaguar, Land Rover, Range Rover) - Tata - India
McLaren - MHC & CYVN - Bahrain and Abu Dhabi
Bentley, Rolls Royce, and Mini - Volkswagen Group - Germany

That is in our current days, but before those acquisitions, the brands had a close identity to the British. Some still do, like Mini.

 

[webkit]

The current Chinese brand bears no resemblance - logo aside - to the classic - and genuinely iconic - British car company and I wish there were laws banning such trademark acquisitions.

At least MG makes a convertible. Too many car companies have gotten out of that business.

 

[tmanto02]

Never heard of it.

You know how china is absolutely crushing the US car industry globally, this is one of those guys

 

[AlanMarron]

In the 3 areas I mentioned, Mexico is parth of "North",so I didnt leave any country outside.

You could argue central is a "construct", but it is kind of difficult to make it fit in either side: not "big" enough to be in the north, and not close enough to be in the South.

Returning to the topic: I see 1045 results as of right now for "MG" on there. Honda has 2105 in comparison. I wont discredit it with those numbers, but again, the car market in Mexico is another thing altogether. VW and Nissan are uber popular over there due to their local manufacturing centers.

I dont know if MG has a local manufacturing center on Mexico. If they dont, guess they are doing fairly well then.

North America extends to the top of South America. Panama is part of the continent of North America. “Central America” is a nickname, as is “the Middle East”, which is actually western Asia. There are only seven continents.

The distribution of cars in Mexico is Chevrolet, then Nissan. The others fight for the second half of the pie.

A Mexican friend has the premium MG — https://www.mgmotor.com.mx/vehiculos/mgimls7 . It’s a very nice car!

Both VW and Nissan make some models here, and import others. They’re popular because of the legacy of the Beetle and the simplicity and reliability of the Versa and its predecessor, the Tsuru.

None of the Chinese brands have an assembly plant here, because the USA doesn’t want them made in Mexico.

But back to the thread. I suspect that eventually Apple will support all Chinese cars, if it doesn’t already. Despite the superiority of Huawei watches, Apple still has tremendous market penetration in China.

 

[bgillander]

I'm going to reply to all of you at once. Idk how old you all are, or where do you live. MG might be popular or talked about in Europe, but doubt it comes to people's mind when picking cars in our current days outside of Europe. If you are all car fanatics, then yeah, fair enough you know about the brand. I'm not a car fanatic, so I shared earlier that I learned about the brand due to a TV ad.

Go drive around in the US, or parts of the American continent (North/Central/South), and MG is nowhere to be seen around here. SAIC has begun expanding their presence recently in the region, but the brand is unknown. They are rare to see in the streets, and pretty much non-existent in the used market as well.

I will stand by my earlier point: "In terms of British car companies, MG is unknown. I just learned about it a few years ago due to some TV ads (in 2024). People do know (and relate) Mini, Land Rover and Jaguar as British related brands."
This is not something I made up, or throwing hate on the brand just for stirring polemic.

So I assume you haven’t heard of Triumph, either?

When I was a kid in the 1970s in Canada, MG and Triumph would be the first cars I thought of as British. A neighbour had a TR-7 that looked completely different than Triumph’s previous designs, and I recall lusting after that little car before I even had a drivers license, though I’m sure the traditional Triumph fans would probably have considered that heresy.

I know times change, but they were rather cool little cars, so it is sad their legacy has been forgotten by many.

 

[Hammerd]

In terms of British car companies, MG is unknown. I just learned about it a few years ago due to some TV ads (in 2024). People do know (and relate) Mini, Land Rover and Jaguar as British related brands.

And reading that it is under SAIC's control, it even turns me away from them. They probably are a fest of rebadged cars at this point, no point on knowing them.

I also think Rolls-Royce, Bentley and Aston Martin when I think about British cars.

 

[IJ Reilly]

You are probably right. US MGs in the Seventies were niche even back then. So really just more confirmation that I am old AF. Ah well.

I never quite know what someone means when they say a product is "niche." Does that mean everyone doesn't buy the same products? Since that's true, I guess all products are niche.

While the brand has disappeared from North America, the MG-TC became quite popular with American buyers after the war. I believe exports to the U.S. were officially encouraged to help rebuild the British auto industry. In the '60s you could find lots of British brands on the U.S. roads that are either no longer made, or aren't sold here. Triumph, Morris, Mini, Hillman, Vauxhall, Sunbeam, and MG, to name a few.

 

[webkit]

Some posters here confirm the rest of the world's perception that Americans don't have much clue about what happens outside its borders (or, for some, inside them too).

Actually, it goes both ways. It can be amazing just how little people outside of the U.S./North America know about what happens here. It was funny to see reactions (to American life, products, variety, etc.) by foreign visitors to the U.S. during the recent World Cup games.

 

[QuarterSwede]

Actually, it goes both ways. It can be amazing just how little people outside of the U.S./North America know about what happens here. It was funny to see reactions (to American life, products, variety, etc.) by foreign visitors to the U.S. during the recent World Cup games.

Well, they’ve usually heard about it but don’t believe it. That’s what was so funny. Everyone thinks we’re lying, but no.

 

[delnerdo]

Steel blocks the signal. MG’s fix: wood frame

 

[Attirex]

I never quite know what someone means when they say a product is "niche." Does that mean everyone doesn't buy the same products? Since that's true, I guess all products are niche.

While the brand has disappeared from North America, the MG-TC became quite popular with American buyers after the war. I believe exports to the U.S. were officially encouraged to help rebuild the British auto industry. In the '60s you could find lots of British brands on the U.S. roads that are either no longer made, or aren't sold here. Triumph, Morris, Mini, Hillman, Vauxhall, Sunbeam, and MG, to name a few.

In my mind, niche means a very narrowly defined or specialized/specific subject area of interest or market vs. what is more popularly known and common. In the car market here in the States, millions of people like Fords, Dodges, Jeeps, etc, but only a teeny tiny number of people own, or even know about, old school MGs. So in the States in 2026, MGs are niche. The concept can apply to pretty much anything that is the focus of human interest--hobbies, products, intellectual interests, books, animals, food, and on and on.

 

[Happy_John]

In terms of British car companies, MG is unknown. I just learned about it a few years ago due to some TV ads (in 2024). People do know (and relate) Mini, Land Rover and Jaguar as British related brands.

And reading that it is under SAIC's control, it even turns me away from them. They probably are a fest of rebadged cars at this point, no point on knowing them.

Ehhh, MG is/was a pretty famous British car company.

 

[ZiBart]

I’m American, not a huge car fanatic, and not all *that* old (I’m a millennial), and yet I’m well aware of MG… that said I know a lot of car fanatics, so maybe more has filtered in than I thought lol

Im GenX, most of my life spent in Canada. And Im a car enthusiast. Never heard of MG before this post. I dont think its just about region and whether you are into cars. Its also about, what type of cars you are into. I like modern/new. Some like classics/restored. Some like trucks/off road. Some exotic/racer or muscle. Some only Corvettes. Etc. And with that comes the level of exposure to brands from the present and the past. Perhaps i saw one at one of the many international auto shows i have been to, but not enough for me to remember. No judgment on the brand, just limited storage space left in my brain at this point. 😊

 

[Nevaborn]

Anyone saying they haven't heard of MG definitely doesn’t know cars. Classic roadster and sports cars in UK. Now a Chinese owned brand but makes some amazing EV’s. Really comfortable and well equipped at a good price.

 

[QuarterSwede]

Im GenX, most of my life spent in Canada. And Im a car enthusiast. Never heard of MG before this post. I dont think its just about region and whether you are into cars. Its also about, what type of cars you are into. I like modern/new. Some like classics/restored. Some like trucks/off road. Some exotic/racer or muscle. Some only Corvettes. Etc. And with that comes the level of exposure to brands from the present and the past. Perhaps i saw one at one of the many international auto shows i have been to, but not enough for me to remember. No judgment on the brand, just limited storage space left in my brain at this point. 😊

https://www.jpfrazier.com/vehicles/1210/1955-mg-tf-1500-60-year-ownership

This is the MG I first remember. Perhaps you've seen one and never knew what it was.

 

[ZiBart]

https://www.jpfrazier.com/vehicles/1210/1955-mg-tf-1500-60-year-ownership

This is the MG I first remember. Perhaps you've seen one and never knew what it was.

You are right. If not in person, then for sure in period piece films.

 

[webkit]

Im GenX, most of my life spent in Canada. And Im a car enthusiast. Never heard of MG before this post. I dont think its just about region and whether you are into cars. Its also about, what type of cars you are into.

I certainly get that people aren't into all types of cars (or cars at all) but a Gen X "car enthusiast" having never even heard of MG before this post is surprising to me. I imagine you've never heard of the Triumph car brand? Rover (not Land Rover)? Lancia? Citroen? Opel?

 

[ZiBart]

I certainly get that people aren't into all types of cars (or cars at all) but a Gen X "car enthusiast" having never even heard of MG before this post is surprising to me. I imagine you've never heard of the Triumph car brand? Rover (not Land Rover)? Lancia? Citroen? Opel?

What can I say, I barely make the cut for “Gen X” (almost a millennial) if that makes a difference. I know of Triumph but as a motorcycle, as I have seen them on the road even though motor bikes are not my thing. Same with Opel and Citroen, as I have also seen them on the road in Europe while travelling. A lot of them. Less so with Lancia and Rover (not Land Rover). Never seen an MG badge on the road locally or in my travels, nor at any auto show I have been to. Maybe I’m not an enthusiast. I’m whatever you call someone that has attended around 10 auto shows, owned over 20 cars, and consume a fair amount of current auto news, forums and reviews catered to North American brands since the mid 90’s out of interest. Whatever that is, then I’m that. But with no prior awareness of MG, a brand that went bankrupt shortly after I was born, only to be sold to a Chinese company I had very little awareness of until now as well.

 

[webkit]

What can I say, I barely make the cut for “Gen X” (almost a millennial) if that makes a difference. I know of Triumph but as a motorcycle, as I have seen them on the road even though motor bikes are not my thing. Same with Opel and Citroen, as I have also seen them on the road in Europe while travelling. A lot of them. Less so with Lancia and Rover (not Land Rover). Never seen an MG badge on the road locally or in my travels, nor at any auto show I have been to. Maybe I’m not an enthusiast. I’m whatever you call someone that has attended around 10 auto shows, owned over 20 cars, and consume a fair amount of current auto news, forums and reviews catered to North American brands since the mid 90’s out of interest. Whatever that is, then I’m that.

Ok.

But with no prior awareness of MG, a brand that went bankrupt shortly after I was born, only to be sold to a Chinese company I had very little awareness of until now as well.

Although it did leave the U.S. and Canada markets in 1980, MG (MG Rover Group) didn't officially go bankrupt until 2005, well after you were born. At that point, it was sold to a Chinese company.