Harley-Davidson, Inc. plans to cut 300 to 400 production jobs in addition to the 1,100 jobs it previously announced would be eliminated in 2009 and 2010 as part of a restructuring.

"We don't make any job reduction decisions lightly," says Jim Ziemer, president and CEO of Harley-Davidson, Inc. "But, based on further planning since January and a deeper analysis of our production requirements, we have now determined that fewer production employees will be required. We will continue to work with the union leadership as we move forward, and as always, we will appropriately manage Harley-Davidson based on business conditions and the needs of the marketplace."

MOTORCYCLE SALES
Worldwide retail sales of Harley-Davidson motorcycles for the first quarter, ended March 31, totaled 58,583 units, down 12.0 percent compared to sales of 66,561 units during the prior-year quarter.

In the U.S., retail sales of Harley-Davidson motorcycles totaled 42,041 units, down 9.7 percent compared to sales of 46,572 units during the same three-month period last year. In international markets, retail sales of Harley-Davidson motorcycles decreased 17.2 percent.

- Submitted by Guido Ebert