The Lincoln MKZ will be discontinued in 2020.

Lincoln, which earlier this week announced plans for a new battery-powered SUV based on the Rivian platform, also revealed that it will discontinue the MKZ for the 2020 model year.

Autoblog later revealed that production of the MKZ at the Hermosillo assembly plant in Mexico will end this summer, while sales will continue throughout the year. The plant will then switch to production of the Ford Transit Connect commercial van.

This news is not a big surprise, as Ford had already announced the death of the MKZ's Fusion counterpart back in 2018.

There were hopes that the MKZ's successor would perhaps be badged the Zephyr (the name used when it was introduced in 2006), but given Ford and Lincoln's focus on SUVs, trucks, and commercial vehicles in North America, that now seems unlikely.

Note that the Fusion is expected to be replaced by a new soft-roader wagon, and Lincoln may get its own version, targeting premium soft-roaders like the Allroad and Cross Country offered by Audi and Volvo, respectively

With the MKZ being discontinued later this year, the Continental will be the only sedan in Lincoln's lineup. Unfortunately for sedan fans, the Continental is also considered a borrower. The Continental is expected to disappear after the 2021 model year.

The current MKZ was introduced in 2013 and underwent a major makeover in 2017. Sales in the U.S. peaked at about 34,000 units in 2014 and have continued to decline, with only 17,725 units sold in 2019.