Autonomous tractor · head to head
9RX Autonomy (2nd-gen kit) vs Agri Robo MR1000A
Two autonomous tractor machines, one verified table. Every figure below is sourced and dated; vendor claims are labelled and kept apart from independent results.
John Deere · United States
Second-generation autonomy kit on the four-track 9RX — 16-camera, 360° driverless tillage, full US launch in 2026.
Best for: Very large US broadacre operations on the JD platform wanting driverless primary tillage at high horsepower.Kubota · Japan
Kubota's 100 hp unmanned Agri Robo tractor — a production autonomous machine sold to Japanese farmers, supervised from a tablet, with sonar, laser scanners and cameras for obstacle detection. Japan-only; the EU-facing Agri Robo KVT remains a show preview, not a listed product.
Best for: Japanese rice and field-crop operations short of drivers that want a dealer-backed autonomous tractor from a major maker.| 9RX Autonomy (2nd-gen kit) Verified 2026-07-16 | Agri Robo MR1000A Verified 2026-07-16 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Task | Autonomous tractor | Autonomous tractor |
| Autonomy | Fully autonomous | Fully autonomous |
| Country of origin | United States | Japan |
| Availability | Available now | Available now |
| EU market | Pending | Pending |
| Lead time | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Last verified | 2026-07-16 | 2026-07-16 |
| Specifications | ||
| Power source | Diesel; 9RX 640–830 hp models | Diesel · Kubota 4-cylinder, ~100 hp class |
| Required tractor power | Is the tractor (up to 830 hp) | Is the machine (autonomous tractor) |
| Dimensions | Standard 9RX four-track chassis | Based on Kubota M5-series platform |
| Weight | Not disclosed for autonomy configuration | 3,550–4,130 kg depending on configuration |
| Min farm size | 500 ha | Not disclosed |
| Productivity | Field-dependent; 24 h duty capable; faster and wider than gen-1 kit | Unattended field work under human supervision; concurrent manned+unmanned two-tractor operation supported |
| Max speed | Field-work speeds; road transport driven manually | Not disclosed |
| Sensors | 16 cameras in pods · 360° vision · improved long-range depth calculation | Sonar · laser scanners · cameras · GNSS — detects people and obstacles, auto-stops |
| Price & model | ||
| Price (EUR) | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Native price | Not disclosed | ¥15,994,000–¥20,438,000 (tax incl., Kubota Japan MSRP) |
| Business model | Kit purchase on owned/leased 9RX; licensing/subscription terms not publicly disclosed | Purchase through Kubota's Japanese dealer network |
| Ongoing cost | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Key outcome | ||
| Best verified result | Operator supervision Remote supervision via Operations Center Mobile · vendor | Tractor operator One supervisor runs unmanned + manned tractor simultaneously · vendor |
| EU context | ||
| CE marking | Not filed for EU autonomous operation | Not CE marked for autonomous operation — Japanese domestic product |
| Machinery Regulation | No EU approval — John Deere states EU safety rules currently prevent autonomous-tractor launch | No EU conformity; autonomous KVT shown as preview only |
| CAP subsidy | Not applicable — not purchasable in the EU | Not applicable — not purchasable in the EU |
"—" means the manufacturer has not disclosed the figure; we never estimate silently. Model either machine's payback with your own numbers on its ROI calculator page.