Today, Landpower and CLAAS Harvest Centre unveiled the CLAAS XERION 12 series high-horsepower tractor in Altona, Melbourne, signaling an end to the wait for the model down under. 

Chief Executive, Richard Wilson says, ‘We are delighted to be able to finally bring the new CLAAS XERION to the Australian market. We have been working with CLAAS since 1987, and they are a world-leading manufacturer of agricultural machinery. We know that we are bringing in a superior product that is right for the farming conditions of our Australian customers because we have been running five evaluation units in Australia this seeding season, and they have completed over 2,000 hours of work’.  

With significant interest in the American and European markets, the XERION has taken some time to get to this side of the world in a low-regulated version. 

In 2023, CLAAS made good on its promise to take the high-horsepower tractor market head-on with the release of its all-new XERION 12 series at Agritechnica. With the CLAAS XERION 12 series, the Harsewinkel-based company currently has the most powerful all-wheel drive tractor with continuously variable transmission technology on the market.

The XERION 12 was the result of six years of research and development, 10,000 hours of field testing across five countries, and was recognised by five international awards at Agritechnica, AGROmash, the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers and an iF design award.

‘It’s a fantastic-looking machine, built by a great company with a great reputation. We have had considerable interest in the XERION 12 since its launch and have pre-sold two units into Western Australia and one in Eastern Australia’, he says.

Engineered specifically for broadacre markets, the flagship model packs a super-efficient 653 horsepower engine, 914 mm tracks, industry-leading hydraulics and a new luxe cabin with four-point suspension.

The new 12.650, 12.590 and 12.540 models in the XERION 12 series are the flagships in the segment and have been engineered to enhance on-farm productivity with four key features in mind: 

XERION 12 is powered by the same 15.6 L six-cylinder Mercedes-Benz OM473 engine found in CLAAS’ combine and forage harvesters. The 15.6L Mercedes-Benz six-cylinder engines with a maximum power output of up to 653 hp.   

“XERION 12 is all about performance, comfort and productivity – and it delivers all three in spades,” says Kevin Walker, Product Business Manager –Tractors Australia & New Zealand.

“With a maximum power output of 653 hp and 3100 Nm of torque at just 1300 rpm, this is most powerful four-wheel-drive tracked tractor on the market with a CVT transmission.

“Thanks to its balanced 50:50 weight distribution the XERION 12 Series tractors are built to exceed expectations and to stand up to any job you throw at it.  A specialist for heavy-duty pulling work in all speed ranges – whether in front of a cultivator, disc harrow, plough, airseeder or trailer”.

“Despite its immense power and size, it is extremely nimble thanks to its precise twin-axle steering“, he says  The XERION 12 series TERRA TRAC model is equipped with newly developed triangular crawler units and 914 or 762mm tracks, while the wheeled variants can be fitted with 800/70 R42 dual or 900/60 R42 single tyres.   The luxe cab has space, comfort, and an unrivaled all-round view supported by four-point suspension, and is part of the machine’s unique features.    State-of-the-art onboard and offboard features for digital agriculture allow automated steering, section control, variable rate, and automatic documentation, as well as the optimisation of machine and process performance with CEMOS. The XERION 12 Series is even more connected with further development towards high automation of work processes and autonomy.