in the period between launching the production in 1968 up to its termination, which took place on 13 November 2000. From 1997 to 1999, the Letňany car factory was also assembling Lublin and Lublin II light commercial vehicles imported disassembled from the Daewoo Motor Poland company. At the same time development of a completely new product continued. Daewoo Avia's new Korean management team set a demanding goal consisting of development and manufacturing of a completely new medium duty truck, which would cover the 6 to 9 tonnes gvw (gross vehicle weight) class and would be fully competitive in Western European markets and further afield in terms of design and operating costs. The vehicle cab, which was styled in Italy and provided maximum comfort both to driver and crew, was the most significant new component of the vehicle. The designers at Daewoo's engineering centre in Worthing, UK, led the development of the new cab and its interior, while Daewoo Avia specialist designers at the Letnany factory were responsible for the project co-ordination, and engine/chassis development. Total cost of the project was more than $160 million, split about 50–50 between R&D and manufacturing upgrades. The main manufacturing investments were the new Eisenmann water-based paint plant, including the e-coat plant which was installed to degrease, prepare and prime the cabs by full electro-cataphoretic full immersion process, and a new cab welding line. The parent Korean Daewoo company went bankrupt in 1999, so the Prague factory was reconstituted in 2000 as an independent business. Much of the ongoing development work was funded by selling local real estate owned by the company including the company-owned workers' flats in Letňany. A new vehicle, called the Avia D Series, was launched at the Brno truck show in June 2000. Along with its new cab, Daewoo Avia also launched its new D432-100 engine which met EEC R49-03 (Euro 3) without electronic control or EGR technology. Plans to enter Western European market also meant that the Cummins ISBe range of engines was installed as an option, as this engine made the vehicle more marketable. Initially available with the 150 hp Cummins ISBe 150 30 engine, made by Cummins Engine Company in Darlington, UK. This engine was also available as a derated 130 hp variant and in 2003 a 170 hp version was also launched. The Cummins engine, with its flat torque curve, demonstrated good fuel consumption and better performance