Lincoln Continental Production to End in December, 2020

2017 Continental

2020 Continental

Ford Motor Co. confirmed on Wednesday that it plans to end production of the luxury Lincoln Continental sedan in the U.S. at the end of 2020. A 2021 model year vehicle will be offered to the China market before the sedan says goodbye.

"It will end for both China and the U.S. at the end of the year," Angie Kozleski, Lincoln spokeswoman, told the Free Press. "Production is done at the end of this year. The name will go back into the vault. It has a long and rich history. But production for this vehicle will be ending at the end of this year." 

The 2021 Lincoln Continental, which is built at the Flat Rock Assembly Plant, will be available for purchase in China only.

The Ford Mustang is made at Flat Rock, too.

The company issued a statement:

"Lincoln is investing in growth segments and the brand will feature a full portfolio of SUVs, including a fully electric vehicle in the future. Lincoln will continue to keep its newest SUVs fresh and we will have more news to share later this year; however, as the full-size premium sedan segment continues to decline in the U.S., we plan to end production of the Lincoln Continental at the end of this year."

The large premium sedan segment has been declining over the past five years, Kozleski said. "In China, while it's declining, it's not declining at the same rate."

Ford, which is scheduled to release second-quarter sales data on Thursday, said consumers in the U.S. and China are responding to the Lincoln SUVs — the Corsair, the Aviator and the Navigator.

"We look forward to building our strong portfolio of SUVs," Kozleski said.

The Continental sedan reflects a time in history. It is often linked to an era when smoking was sexy and executives sipped cocktails during business lunches. The 1961 Lincoln Continental introduced America to a new design that transformed a failing luxury brand into a hot sedan carrying world leaders, industrial barons and the Hollywood elite.  

President John F. Kennedy rode through Dallas in a dark blue Continental convertible. It is the association with American history and pop culture that inspires admiration from consumers in China. 

But U.S. consumer tastes have changed to favor larger silhouettes.