THE new generation Claas Lexion 8000/7000 combine harvester has won the internationally-renowned iF Gold Award for Design.
Established in 1953, the Industrie Forum Design awards promote excellence in industrial design.
This year's competition attracted almost 7000 entries from 50 countries.
Each entry was assessed against strict criteria for design, innovation, functionality, manufacturing quality, safety and environmental compatibility.
The Lexion 8000/7000 was one of only 75 entries to earn a gold award.
The harvester caught the eye of the judges, not only by its sheer size, but its combination of ergonomics and design.
The fully-glazed cab, which gives the driver excellent all-round visibility, and the larger grain tank, which ensures higher productivity, were especially important factors in boosting the Lexion onto the winners' podium.
Claas Harvest Centre product manager for Lexion Steve Reeves said the Lexion 8000/7000 was more productive, more efficient and easier to operate than ever before.
"With its APS Synflow Hybrid threshing system and cutting-edge operating systems, this series raises the bar for harvesting performance even higher than before," he said.
"It's effectively a new machine that delivers 10 per cent more capacity than the previous 700 series."
The Lexion 8000/7000 was designed in-house by the Claas Corporate industrial design team.
"This is the first time Claas has directly submitted an entry in the iF Awards and they won a gold, which is an outstanding achievement," Mr Reeves said.