The Mitsubishi Research and Design of America office and design center in Cypress, Calif., are being closed, and 60 employees are being let go, said Moe Durand, a spokesman for Mitsubishi Motors North America on Thursday.

“It’s a reflection of what is going on in the auto industry right now and the economy as a whole,” Mr. Durand said. “Design functions will now revert fully to our headquarters’ facilities in Japan.” (Thank God, finally some decent cars now!)

A small office of the design center in Ann Arbor, Mich., will remain open. Research and testing is being conducted there on an electric vehicle, Mr. Durand said. The Cypress center, which is near Long Beach, was primarily involved in design.

“M.R.D.A. in Cypress did a lot of the work on the new Eclipse and Spyder,” Mr. Durand said. “They had no real current projects under development.”

The demise of the United States design center is the end of an ambitious initiative, undertaken in 2000, to create Mitsubishi vehicles specifically for the American market, separate from Japan. Eclipse, Galant, and a next-generation Montero Sport — ultimately the Endeavor — were all part of a Project America, or PS platform, family of vehicles.

The project, since canceled, can point to very few winners in recent years, except perhaps the attractive but slow-selling Eclipse sports car and Spyder convertible. Other efforts like the Endeavor sport utility and Galant sedan rank squarely in the “flop” category.

“I think it has generally been acknowledged that the PS cars were not a success in the marketplace,” Mr. Durand said.

Last month, it was announced the United States-designed Mitsubishi Raider pickup, another dud, had been canceled.