CLAAS celebrates 25 years serial production of the XERION

25 years ago, with the market launch of the XERION, CLAAS set new standards in terms of multifunctionality and versatility in high-horsepower tractors. CLAAS is celebrating the anniversary together with sales partners and customers with a limited special edition.

The year 1997 not only marked a milestone in tractor construction, but also for CLAAS. With the already four years earlier presented XERION 2500, both the most versatile high-horsepower tractor to date and the first tractor since the “Huckepack” implement carrier have been added to the CLAAS product range. After more than 20 years of development, the first production-ready XERION with a Caterpillar six-cylinder engine, 250 hp and HM08 continuously variable transmission from CLAAS established a new product segment. Thanks to its four attachment and body areas, the enormous payload, the rotating cab and the two steering axles with drive wheels of the same size as well as permanent all-wheel drive, the XERION was unique in many areas from then on. Be it as a manoeuvrable self-propelled liquid manure with crab steering that protects the soil, as a compact self-propelled beet harvester, as a self-propelled large-area mower with a triple mower combination in reverse travel or as a powerful sowing combination with a mounted hopper for seed - the XERION gradually opened up new fields of application.

Versatile, efficient, powerful - unique!
With the XERION 3300, the switch to ZF continuously variable transmission took place in 2004. From then on, the XERION was also synonymous with high tractive power - exactly at the right time for the heavy-duty intensive cultivators and short disc harrows with large working widths that were emerging at the time. Thanks to more engine power - in particular due to the XERION 3800 with 379 hp that followed in 2007 - and a ball mount behind the cab, work with large-volume liquid manure trailers was now also possible. At the same time, the SADDLE TRAC variant with the cab positioned above the engine was added to the model range.

In 2009, the large series with XERION 4500 and XERION 5000 as TRAC and TRAC VC with rotatable cab will be presented at the Agritechnica in order to meet the increased demands on engine performance and traction. The two flagships with "power intelligence" are used almost exclusively for heavy and very heavy draft work, but also in front of wood chippers, snow blowers and diggers.

In 2013 the generation change took place and for the HRC markets the conversion to engines from Daimler Benz/MTU. The model range includes the XERION 4000, the XERION 4500 and the XERION 5000. From 2014, the high-horsepower tractors will also be available in North America for the first time and in 2017 set records in the Nebraska Test in the 450 to 500 hp class in terms of efficiency, low engine speed, tractive power and noise in the cabin up.

In 2019, as part of the transition to the Stage V emissions standard, the new XERION 4200, 4500 and 5000 will be presented in the HRC markets. The two most powerful XERION are now also available as TRAC TS with four triangle crawler tracks.

In 2020, the Nordschleife premiere of the XERION caused an international sensation: On August 24, racing driver Christian Menzel completed the legendary, 20.6 km long course at the Nürburgring in 25 minutes and 50 seconds - mind you, in reverse with the cab turned. With almost 1 million views to date, the associated video has become an absolute click hit on the auto, motor und sport YouTube channel.

Limited anniversary edition
Today, up to 400 XERION roll off the assembly line every year - sales figures have doubled in the last three years - in order to perform in the most diverse areas of application. They work for farmers and contractors in the heart of Europe, in the endless black earth regions of Kazakhstan, in the prairies of North America, on gigantic farms in Australia, thriving farms in Asia and even in South America, Australia and South Africa. To this day, no other tractor combines versatility, efficiency, soil protection and performance as perfectly as the CLAAS XERION, which also leads to great demand for used machines.

To mark the anniversary, CLAAS is producing a strictly limited special edition with a retro look for the core markets of the XERION, based on the color scheme of the first XERION 2500 from 1997. The limited edition will be on display at trade fairs and will be exclusively available to loyal XERION customers. In addition, all XERION built between August 2022 and August 2023 will receive an anniversary sticker for the cabin door.