Lincoln is abandoning the sedan segment as the company has confirmed the Continental will go out production later this year.
In a statement obtained by The Detroit News, Lincoln spokesperson Angie Kozleski said “Lincoln is investing in growth segments and the brand will feature a full portfolio of SUVs, including a fully-electric vehicle in the future.”
However, she noted the “full-size premium sedan segment continues to decline in the U.S.” As a result, Lincoln will stop building the Continental at the end of the year.
Also Read: Two New Electric Crossovers Could Doom The Lincoln Continental In America
Lincoln brought back the Continental in 2016 after an absence of more than a decade. While the model initially attracted a lot of attention, that didn’t translate into strong sales.
U.S. sales peaked in 2017 at 12,012 units, but dropped to just 6,586 units last year. Lincoln was on track to sell even less in 2020, and that was before the coronavirus hit.
Lincoln’s decision to kill the Continental probably shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, even though the company had said they were committed to sedans. Of course, the opposite is true as Lincoln will be without a sedan as the MKZ was also killed earlier this year.
The strategy echoes Ford’s approach in North America as the Blue Oval bloodbath resulted in the deaths of the Fusion, Fiesta and Taurus. That being said, Lincoln’s decision is effective globally.
Getting back to the future of Lincoln, Kozleski said the company will have “more news to share later this year.” Nothing is official, but we’ll likely learn more about Lincoln’s electric crossover which is slated to arrive in late 2021 or early 2022.
