In announcing plans for a new battery-electric SUV based on a Rivian platform earlier this week, Lincoln also revealed that the MKZ would bow out after the 2020 model year.

Autoblog has since learned that production of the MKZ will come to an end at the car's Hermosillo Assembly Plant in Mexico this summer and that sales will continue through the remainder of the year. The plant will then be retooled for production of the Ford Transit Connect commercial van.

The news doesn't come as a huge surprise as Ford already announced the death of the MKZ's Fusion counterpart as far back as 2018.

While there were hopes of a replacement for the MKZ, possibly badged a Zephyr (the name the vehicle originally used when introduced for 2006), it now looks unlikely given Ford and Lincoln's focus on SUVs, trucks and commercial vehicles in North America.

Note, the Fusion is expected to be replaced by a new soft-roader wagon and it's possible Lincoln will get its own version to target premium soft-roaders like Audi and Volvo's respective Allroad and Cross Country offerings.

With the demise of the MKZ later this year, the Continental will be the sole sedan in Lincoln's lineup. Unfortunately for sedan fans, the Continental is thought to be on borrowed time as well. It's expected to bow out after the 2021 model year.

The current MKZ was introduced for 2013 and given an extensive makeover for 2017. Sales in the U.S. peaked at about 34,000 units in 2014 and have continuously dropped since then, with 2019's tally coming in at just 17,725 units.