UPDATE: End of the Line for Ford Fusion in 2021

Ford Motor Co. says production of its midsize Fusion sedan in North America will continue through at least into 2021 and not end in 2020 as a spokesman said yesterday.

CarsDirect.com first reported that Fusion output would end next year. It said availability of the Fusion Sport model would end this year, and production of the standard model would stop at the end of 2020.

The eventual end of the Fusion is part of Ford’s decision to drop most of its conventional car lineup—except the Mustang coupe and Focus Active crossover wagon—in the next few years. Production of the Taurus large sedan and other models already has ended or been announced, but Ford hadn’t provided a timetable for the Fusion until now.

The company already has slashed the number of Fusion configurations from 2,000 to as few as 12 as part of cost-cutting initiative. Fusion sales were up 9% this year through May. But annual volume has declined from more than 300,000 units in 2015 to just over 173,000 cars last year.