During a media briefing at CES 2026, Kubota restated its global vision to become an essentials innovator for supporting life — committed to enriching lives and building a brighter future through technology innovation.
Building on this commitment, Kubota announced the commercialization of a smart, integrated autonomous solution developed in partnership with Agtonomy, fully built into the 105.7-horsepower diesel Kubota M5 Narrow tractor with advanced sensing and artificial intelligence. Designed for reliability and versatility, this innovation aims to help customers work more efficiently, according to the company.
Kubota also introduced a concept versatile platform ‘transformer’ robot (KVPR) that expands, contracts and moves along every axis, delivering the adaptability of multiple machines in one solution. This versatility supports customers across different operations and seasons, making work simpler, according to Kubota. In addition, Kubota showcased a Digital Twinning system designed for real-time, persistent data monitoring.
“Big challenges don’t just need big machines; they need smarter solutions that make life easier,” said Todd Stucke, general manager of Agri Solutions Headquarters, Kubota Japan (KBT), and president of Kubota North America. “Our go-to-market solutions are the culmination of our customer-driven innovation cycle, where the goal is not simply to automate what you’ve always done, but to rethink how work can be done more intuitively and efficiently.”
Kubota’s approach to commercialization prioritizes customer choice and the human experience, letting customers work the way they prefer, whether in the seat or with the swipe of a finger, the company stated.
“Physical AI is a key inflection point for our industry and for Kubota,” said Brett McMickell, chief technology officer for Kubota North America. “Decision making, obstacle detection and voice recognition capabilities mean AI real-time insights will now inform tasking, labor assignments and efficiency improvements. This is just the beginning of what is possible when you design technology around human needs, enhancing the way customers live and work rather than focusing only on technical capability. We can now facilitate more complexity with more certainty and more simplicity than ever before.”
Leading luxury wine supplier, Treasury Wine Estates, is already leveraging Kubota’s intuitive solutions in the field and joined Kubota at CES to share best practices for testing autonomy.
“We put Kubota’s M5 Narrow tractor to work during mowing and under-vine cultivation,” says Marc Di Pietra, regional service maintenance manager, Treasury Wine Estates. “It handles routine passes with autonomy and sensing across every row and block, which reduces rework, increases efficiency and gives our team more time to focus on what matters most.”
For more information about Kubota’s products and innovation cycle, visit the Kubota North America booth #6001 in the West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center until Jan. 9, 2026.
