Detroit — Ford Motor Co. confirmed last week 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 forever.

“It will end for both China and the U.S. at the end of the year,” Angie Kozleski, Lincoln spokeswoman, told the Detroit 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 Lincoln Continental is currently built in Flat Rock, Mich.

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.”

Jon Gabrielsen, market analyst, responded to the news with surprise.

“This is the second canceled Lincoln program in as many months, starting with the Rivian SUV future program and now the Continentals,” he said. Continental “is only a tiny fraction of total Ford Motor Co. sales yet duplicates so many resources in product development, marketing dealer relations and adds so much complexity to assembly plants and supply chain sourcing and management.”