How Ford tried to sell Americans a budget ‘Mercedes’ that was really just a Granada
Published on Jan 24, 2026 at 7:11 AM (UTC+4)
by Ben Thompson
Last updated on Jan 22, 2026 at 8:08 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
Back in the 1970s, Ford tried to sell Americans a budget ‘Mercedes’, but it was really a Granada.
The idea was to style its Granada after European sedans, like those from Mercedes-Benz.
It wasn’t subtle either, as the car was overtly compared to a Mercedes in ads released at the time.
So how did Ford try to sell this car as a budget Mercedes?
EXPLORE SBX CARS – Supercar auctions starting soon powered by Supercar Blondie
This car was a dressed-up Ford Granada – not a Mercedes-Benz
Back in the 1970s, the car scene was in a state of change.
Thanks to the rising price of fuel, the ideal car for American buyers looked a lot different.
While the Maverick did well during the 1973 Oil Crisis, there was still a desire to try something a little different.
The name of the game was now tightening emissions controls, and that’s what Ford was doing.
Looking across the pond at Europe, the company deduced that smaller cars, like those put out by Mercedes-Benz, were popular among young buyers.
From this, it was decided that downsizing would lead to an uptick in sales.
The 1975 Granada was thus modeled after a Benz, although it was hardly a case of seeing double.
But it pulled in the big bucks with the American public, selling more than 400,000 in its first year.
Billed as being ‘thousands less than a Mercedes’, the Granada made a ton of cash for Ford.
A writer at The Autopian recalled a Ford spokesman describing the interior as ‘more showbiz’.
What exactly did that look like?
How did things look on the inside?
If there was one word to describe this interior, besides ‘showbiz’, it’d be ‘shiny’.
The plastic wood is pure 1970s, and the car’s look has been kept simple with very few instruments to speak of, besides a speedometer and fuel gauge.
This wouldn’t even be the last time Ford tried to pass off one of its cars as a Benz – it attempted to do so once again in 1978 with the Granada ESS.
That ESS stands for European Sport Sedan, by the way.
We’re not quite sure what the takeaway from this saga is, except that making a car look European can pay off in sales.
The continent’s cars do have something of an allure for American buyers, although the feeling isn’t reciprocated if a recent survey is anything to go by.
DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie
Following stints at LadBible, The Sun, The New York Post, and the Daily Mail, Ben joined the team full-time in February 2025. In his role as Senior Content Writer, his sparkling copy, the ability to sniff out a good story at 100 paces, and a GSOH quickly led to him becoming an integral and invaluable member of the writing staff.
