Kubota will launch a brand new petrol side-by-side vehicle into the Australian market this November, hoping to capitalise on a rising market.
While Kubota has held up its market share in the workhorse diesel utility side-by-side vehicle category, the Sidekick is its first move into the so-called crossover market, utility vehicles with the ability to travel at high speeds.
It's a crowded market, competitors include the market leading Polaris Ranger and the Honda Pioneer, along with offerings from John Deere, CanAm, Kawasaki and Yamaha.
However, Kubota Australia utility vehicle product manager Mark Basile said the company was in a strong position, with high brand recognition and a reputation for quality agricultural vehicles
"We are pleased to see the Sidekick RTV XG850 launched, we've been looking forward to selling these for quite a while," he said.
"The market has shifted and we see see customers looking for something that they can get around faster.
"The RTV-XG850 is perfectly equipped, it's been built for speed and versatility with a highly responsive liquid-cooled, twin cylinder petrol engine providing plenty of torque for fast acceleration and take-off to allow farmers to get things done more efficiently."
Mr Basile said the XG850 delivers speeds of up to 64 kilometres an hour from its 48 horsepower petrol engine.
"The speed-sensitive electronic power steering (EPS) provides exceptional steering control to improve handling and increase stability, even at high speeds, or when carrying heavy loads."
Mr Basile said Sidekick was built to last, in keeping with Kubota's reputation for high quality agricultural utility vehicles, having adopted significant features and technology from its market leading tractors.
"This is tractor technology built down into a utility vehicle, where a lot of other manufacturers have built a quad bike up into a side by side vehicle," he said.
"The undercarriage protection is similar to the diesel models we sell, there are skid-plates under the while machine to protect all the vital components.
"We use a CVT Plus transmission, it is a good reliable transmission that is very responsive, it has a double cogged belt, with the one-way clutch we get some dynamic braking, being full sealed it keeps out the dust and debris.
"These are features that will stand-up to heavy duty work, it is what separates us from our competitors."
Mr Basile said while the petrol engine was currently produced by Suburu, there were plans to transition the engine to Kubota branding.
"Suburu are getting out of the small engine business," he said.
"So Kubota have gone to Suburu and bought the technology and tooling to bring the engine in-house."
Mr Basile said the X850 is equipped to pull with its high-power engine and trailer hitch providing 907 kilograms of towing capacity to cater for a wide range of towing jobs.
"There is a new line of Kubota attachments and accessories have been developed specifically for the XG850 to cater for every user's needs," he said.
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