Well known in its homeland where it reckons to make 800-1,000 combines a year, Indian firm Kartar Agro Industries is showing its first tractors in Bologna this week.
While designed mainly to take a share of the massive Indian tractor market, the company is keen to sell tractors in other areas of the world, including Europe.
The current Kartar Tractor portfolio lists eight Globetrac models from 40 to 100hp. All are fitted with three or four-pot Deutz Stage II engines and the company says it is currently waiting for a Stage IV/V block for a European range, which will also be fitted with a cab.
A new production line was built at company HQ at Patiala (Punjab) last year, and the company reckons it will have made 300 units by the end of this year. Next year the goal is to increase the numbers to 600-800, and increase the numbers still further to 5,000 in three years. Ultimately, the target five years from now is 10,000 units a year. The company reckons the production line can make 20,000 tractors a year from a single shift.
Kartar hopes to be able to show the new European homologated tractors (top model probably 120hp) at Agritechnica next year, but says it could also be at the next EIMA in 2020, and longer term there is a hint of a 150hp model.
The firm admits that entering the European market will be a challenge, but says that the ‘made in India’ tractors will be of a European build quality and competitively priced.
