Hummer Hog? -- Harley Davidson Unlikely To Make Civilian Mt350

Just because AM General Corp. is offering a civilian version of its Hummer combat truck, don't expect that to happen with Harley Davidson's Pennsylvania-built military motorcycle.

Harley recently beat out Japanese cycle manufacturer Suzuki and the Italian company Cagiva to win a contract for production of 1,570 of its military Hogs for the British Ministry of Defense.

Designated MT350, the single-cylinder, 29-horsepower bikes currently are in use by armed forces of several nations for military dispatch riding and combat communications, including the U.S. Air Force.

Delivery will be over a four-year period, with production starting in July at the rate of two bikes per day at Harley's York, Pa., assembly plant.

Don't look for it at your Harley dealer - the MT350 is available only on a contract basis through company headquarters in Milwaukee.

ROVER UTILITY TRUCK

Land Rover North America plans to begin selling its two-door, four-wheel-drive 90 series sport utility truck in the United States later this year, despite a 25 percent tariff.

The decision to bring the 90 to the United States was based on the sellout success of the $39,900 Defender 110, which Land Rover imported from Britain last year.

Land Rover shares other importers' concerns over the import tax and the possibility that a reclassification of four-door sport trucks would increase those tariffs from 2.5 percent to 25 percent.

Including the tariff, the Defender 90 would sell for less than $30,000 before options, such as a roll-up soft top.

The vehicle gives Land Rover an entry-level vehicle to attract new buyers.

NO-HAGGLE HAGGLE

No-haggle car dealerships are spreading across the country, but their popularity actually is declining among dealers.

A USA Today poll of 809 car dealers finds two-thirds want to stick to negotiating. One-third say they favor a set, nonnegotiable price.

A separate USA Today poll of consumers suggests the dealers may be right. Only one-third of customers polled say they want set prices at car dealerships; the rest want to negotiate.

Car Briefs copy provided by Times news services