It seems like just yesterday that automakers were flocking to California to open design studios in order to harness the fresh talent offered by the Golden State. Now Mitsubishi has announced that, in an effort to consolidate its design operations, it will close its Cypress, California, design studio.
The closure will eliminate 30 jobs, according to the Japanese automaker. It will also make similar cuts at its engineering facility in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and another design studio in Frankfurt, Germany.
Mitsubishi has not weathered the downturn in the market as well as some other automakers: Its January and February sales in the United States were down 44 percent compared to last year’s numbers, outpacing the 39 percent industry average.
