Fendt had four reasons to cheer on the first day of the recent Agritechnica exhibition.

The new 'Tractor of the Year 2020' was given to the Fendt 942 Vario, while the Fendt 314 Vario won 'Best Utility'.  The company also accepted two Silver medals from DLG for the new Fendt IDEALDrive steering system and for a collaboration project with Braun.

(From left) Walter Wagner (Vice President Engineering Fendt Tractors), Robert Heisler (Product Manager for High-Horsepower Tractors Fendt), Christoph Gröblinghoff (Vice President Distribution Management), Peter-Josef Paffen (Chairman of the AGCO/Fendt Management Board), Thorsten Dehner (Vice President Global Parts and EME Parts & Services), Roland Schmidt (Vice President Fendt Marketing)

The judges of the 'Tractor of the Year Award' commended the 942 Vario for its connectivity, which enables fleet management and machine optimisation. It also praised the combination of the newly developed MAN engine and the low-speed Fendt iD concept, which, the panel said, "delivers high performance at low speed, delivering a smooth-running engine with maximum torque and minimum fuel consumption".

As for the 314 Vario, the panel of 25 agricultural journalists praised the versatility of the machine. "The innovative multi-performance concept DynamicPerfomance releases additional power when required – at any driving speed and during all types of work, even in stationary PTO applications. Another bonus is the larger display area in the cab that comes with the new operating concept, FendtONE. It individualises machine use and connects office and machine."

Peter-Josef Paffen, Chairman of the AGCO/Fendt Management Board said, "It takes many years to develop new machines, with plenty of sweat and tears from our engineers. Ultimately, it's impossible to predict if the trade press will recognise this achievement by awarding a prize. The fact that today we take home two awards from an independent panel of judges is testament indeed to our Fendt employees."

Also presented to Fendt were DLG Silver awards  for tractors and forage harvesting technology.

An award was presented to the Fendt / Braun Maschinenbau GmbH collaborative project - a system to mechanically process the substrate with a tractor/implement setup that almost fully automates machine control. With this solution, Fendt answers the trend towards mechanically processing the substrate as an alternative to the use of herbicides. With a Fendt 200 V Vario, the tractor/implement setup is controlled by a gyroscope and a laser which send the necessary data to the terminal via a control unit.

The Fendt IDEALDrive steering system also received the Silver prize for harvesting technology. The judges were impressed with the innovative way it steers without a steering wheel. Controlling the combine harvester with a joystick, the driver has an unobstructed view of the attachments and the road.