DETROIT — The electric vehicle that Ford Motor Co. is developing with startup Rivian will be badged as a Lincoln.

The vehicle, built on Rivian's flexible skateboard platform, will be Lincoln's first EV, Lincoln said in a statement. The brand did not say what type of vehicle it will be, where it will be assembled or when it will go on sale.

Ford last year invested $500 million in Rivian.

"Working with Rivian marks a pivotal point for Lincoln as we move toward a future that includes fully electric vehicles," Lincoln President Joy Falotico said in a statement. "This vehicle will take Quiet Flight to a new place — zero emissions, effortless performance and connected and intuitive technology. It's going to be stunning."

MotorTrend last week reported the Rivian vehicle would be a Lincoln, quoting Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe as saying it would be "in the SUV space" and "very different" from Rivian's own R1S utility, due this year.

Rivian's plant in Normal, Ill., already is being configured for three vehicles: the R1T electric pickup, the R1S and a large delivery van for Amazon, which has placed an order for 100,000 units. When Mitsubishi operated the 1.9 million-square-foot plant, it had an annual capacity of 240,000 vehicles and could build both cars and SUVs.

A Rivian spokeswoman said she had no details on production of the Lincoln vehicle. It's unclear whether Rivian would assemble it or ship the vehicle's skateboard chassis to a Ford plant for final assembly.

"Our vehicle development partnership with Ford is an exciting opportunity to pair our technology with Lincoln's vision for innovation and refinement. We are proud to collaborate on Lincoln's first fully electric vehicle," Scaringe said in the statement released by Lincoln.

The UAW, which struck General Motors for 40 days last fall, said it hopes Rivian will employ UAW-represented workers at the factory in Normal, where Mitsubishi workers were represented by the union.

“Given the UAW’s history in Normal and our history with Ford Motor Co., we look forward to these jobs returning and UAW members having the opportunity once again to organize and form their local union,” Ron McInroy, the union’s director of the region that includes Normal, said in a statement.

Rivian will respect whether employees choose to be represented by a union, a spokeswoman said.

Lincoln has invested heavily in electrification but mostly focused on plug-in hybrid models of its current crossovers, including the Aviator and Corsair. Its U.S. luxury rival, Cadillac, has vowed to lead General Motors' electrification efforts, with brand President Steve Carlisle saying that by 2030, the majority — if not all — Cadillacs sold will be battery-electric.

Separately, Lincoln confirmed Wednesday that North American production of the MKZ sedan would end this year, with sales likely continuing until early 2021. Automotive News reported in September that the MKZ would be phased out in 2021. The death of the MKZ will end Lincoln's "MK" naming scheme, which it had been slowly phasing out by renaming vehicles throughout its lineup.

Officials declined to say whether the Continental will be dropped, which Automotive News also has reported will end production in the U.S. in 2021.

Ford Motor Co. and Rivian are canceling their plan to jointly develop an electric vehicle for the Lincoln brand due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

Lincoln informed its dealers of the decision Tuesday. Officials said the brand still planned to have its own EV eventually and could potentially co-develop a product with Plymouth-based Rivian in the future but shelved the project because of the "current environment."

Although the pandemic has delayed numerous vehicles in development, including the upcoming Ford Bronco Sport crossover, this appears to be the first announcement of a vehicle cancellation in the U.S. attributed to the crisis.

"Our strategic commitment to Lincoln, Rivian and electrification remains unchanged and Lincoln's future plans will include an all-electric vehicle consistent with its Quiet Flight DNA," Lincoln said in a statement provided to Automotive News. Lincoln said it was still committed to its partnership with Rivian and would continue to work with the EV startup "on an alternative vehicle based on Rivian's skateboard platform."

Ford Motor invested $500 million in Rivian last year.

The EV developed with Rivian, announced in January, was to be the Lincoln's first battery-electric model. It would have been built on Rivian's flexible skateboard platform, but neither company had provided details on what type of vehicle it would be, where it would be assembled or when it would go on sale.

Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe was quoted as saying the vehicle would have been "in the SUV space" and "very different" from Rivian's own R1S utility.

Lincoln has invested heavily in electrification but until now has mostly focused on plug-in hybrid models of its existing crossovers, including the Aviator and Corsair.

Ford may be grabbing all the electric headlines right now, but soon Lincoln will be snagging a few, too. In a presentation to the media, the company outlined its electrification strategy for this decade, and it really kicks off next year with the first full electric Lincoln.

Lincoln hasn't said much about what this 2022 EV will be like, not even whether it will be a crossover or a sedan. But the company did say the EV will be based on a modular electric platform supporting rear- or all-wheel drive. It's a new platform not related to the current Mustang Mach-E. This electric vehicle will also be the first of four full EVs launched between now and 2030.

Lincoln will also increase its electrification of internal-combustion models. The goal is for the entire line-up to be electrified by 2030, and half of the brand's volume is expected to be electrified around 2026.

Besides electrification, Lincoln highlighted some other steps it was taking to make the brand and the ownership experience more appealing. Technology and services were highlights. It's putting out its first over-the-air updates for the Lincoln Nautilus this summer with improvements for navigation, Apple CarPlay and the digital owner's manual. Amazon Alexa assistant is coming to Lincolns this fall, and hands-free driving assist is coming later. Lincoln is also playing with new services, such as a refueling and car cleaning service that's being tested in Houston. Finally, the company is adding more standalone retail stores with a new, more luxurious and customer-focused design.

We haven't heard much from Lincoln recently, at least in regards to future vehicles. A facelifted Corsair is in the works, but with automakers announcing new electric vehicles on what seems like a weekly basis, the luxury brand has been curiously silent. That's especially true considering Lincoln's parent company Ford is making strides with the F-150 Lightning and Mustang Mach-E.

It appears things are about to change. We have our second word today regarding a new all-electric concept from Lincoln, set to debut on April 20. If you're wondering about the first word, we wouldn't blame you if you don't remember. Lincoln mentioned its first EV way back in June 2021, promising a 2022 debut.

Back then, it wasn't clear if this would be a production vehicle or a concept but now it appears the latter is true. And judging by a couple of enhanced screenshots from a new teaser video, it appears to be an SUV.


That shouldn't come as a surprise for a couple of reasons. For starters, SUVs make the world go around, especially at Ford. Secondly, teaser sketches from last June showed a futuristic interior of a two-row, four-seat SUV with big side windows, and we get that same impression from Lincoln's new teaser video.



With the new teasers, the luxury brand says its concept "serves as inspiration for our fully electric Lincoln vehicles coming in the near future." Whether or not this is a radical concept or a near-production vehicle remains to be seen. But with BMW and Mercedes-Benz already pressing forward with electric SUVs, we suspect there's certainly pressure in Lincoln's hierarchy to get something rolling, and soon.

The April 20 debut date also suggests Lincoln, despite calling this a global concept, is targeting China's automotive market very closely. The 2022 Beijing Auto Show was slated to begin on April 21, suggesting that Lincoln was planning to showcase this concept at the event. The show was postponed indefinitely due to a resurgence of COVID-19 in the area.