A while back we got word that Lincoln would cease production of the Continental after the current generation had run its course. This name is deeply rooted in American car culture. This follows news that the Lincoln MKZ would also be discontinued in late 2020. Neither of these cars have been big sellers: between the two of them, Lincoln has sold under 50,000 units. This is problematic as Lincoln still relies heavily on sedan sales, while parent company Ford wants the brand to pivot towards the luxury SUV market.

Now according to our sources, Lincoln has officially announced a final production date for the Continental prior to the cars' discontinuation.

The Continental competes with cars such as the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class, and this discontinuation will be the fourth time in history that the Continental name is put to rest. According to Lincoln, the last day that you'll be able to order a Continental will be July 31, and the last day to alter that order will be August 13, but the production of the car is set to continue to October 30 at the Flat Rock Assembly Plant, where the Ford Mustang is also born.

The Continental was reborn in 2016 after being out of production for 14 years and was positioned as Lincoln's range-topping sedan. The Continental brought with it a new design language that was more handsome and assertive than what was on offer from Lincoln at the time. The new styling included a brand new grille design that it shared with the rest of the lineup.

In its first year, Lincoln managed to sell 12,012 of these cars which was not bad for such a high-end luxury car, but after that, things started to slow down dramatically. This could partly be blamed on the increasing popularity of luxury SUVs. The numbers continued to fall: in 2018 Lincoln only sold 6,586 cars, and by the first half of 2020 that number had dwindled to 2,575 cars.

With the production of the MKZ coming to an end on July 30, that will leave the Continental as the only Lincoln passenger car left on sale. The Ford Fusion, another sales disappointment, will also end production on that day.