MARKTOBERDORF (sm). On Thursday, 1 February 2007 at exactly 12:10 pm, the 50,000th Fendt tractor with Vario technology left the final assembly line at the production facilities in Marktoberdorf. It was a Fendt 312 Vario model. "This anniversary impressively demonstrates the successful history of the Vario models. Since 1995, Fendt tractors with stepless Vario transmission have been the epitome of comfortable, effective and fuel-saving operations", said Hermann Merschroth, Spokesman of the Management Board of AGCO Fendt, commenting on the occasion. Proof for the rightness of this drive concept is the fact that last year 71% of all Fendt customers chose a Vario model. This share has shown a rapid upward trend for years.

The Vario success story began in 1995 with the world premiere of the Fendt 926 Vario at the Agritechnica in Hanover, the leading European trade fair for agricultural machinery. Soon thereafter, even sceptics became convinced of the advantages of the new transmission. "Its operating comfort is unparalleled and it significantly increases productivity. The efficiency of the Vario transmission is also excellent", concluded the DLG (German Agricultural Society) testing station at that time. Drivers who drove Vario no longer had to think about which ratio was the right one at which time. Heads and hands remained free for concentrating on work. In addition to this gain in comfort, in light of increasing fuel costs, the low fuel consumption of the Varios soon took on increasing importance.

So the Fendt Varios quickly became a success story and increased sales followed soon after. The 10,000th Vario already rolled from the assembly line in April 2001 and was delivered to the new owner as part of an anniversary celebration. Already two years later, the Dutch agricultural contractors Christ and Bart Post received the 30,000th Vario. Pay honour where honour is due: The Varios have regularly emerged as the shining winners in comparison tests and have received numerous important awards.
First the Vario technology was reserved for the larger and more powerful models in the 400, 700, 800 and 900 series. Now this technology has moved into the Fendt tractors in the medium horsepower class. An example is the 300 Vario with up to 125 hp, which was added to the model line-up in September 2006. The good acceptance of the 300 Varios on the market prove that increasing numbers of customers in this horsepower class also want to take advantage of the benefits of Vario technology. For AGCO Fendt this was reason enough to present the model range at this year's SIMA, the French leading trade fair for agricultural equipment in Paris.
Today the Vario is a synonym for stepless drive technology for tractors. But Vario has become more than just a stepless transmission. It is a tractor concept that has already proven its superiority in many hundred thousand operating hours.