ADELAIDE, Australia —  Mitsubishi's Australian factory has built its last cars _ three of them for charities and one for permanent display _ and will close Friday after 28 years in operation.

About 500 workers will leave the assembly factory Friday; another 430 will stay on for a year to decommission the plant and produce a stockpile of spare parts.

The factory built its last 380 model sedans Thursday, including three cars to benefit charities and one to go on permanent display at the National Motor Museum in the Adelaide Hills.

"While this is a very sad and poignant day, everyone at Mitsubishi has focused on all the good times we have experienced and the absolute sense of family and community we have built here," said President and Chief Executive Officer Rob McEniry.

Mitsubishi took over the Tonsley Park facilities from American car manufacturer Chrysler in 1980 and since then has built more than 1.1 million vehicles, including more than 100,000 for export markets.

The company announced a decision to close the factory in February, blaming the shrinking size of the large car market in Australia and mounting debts over the past 10 years.

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