Daedong launches AI tractor test-ride program at 29 dealerships nationwide

Daedong is offering a free test-ride program for its AI tractors at 29 dealerships across the country. Following the domestic launch of the machines in April, the company is stepping up efforts to broaden market adoption by giving farmers more opportunities to experience autonomous operation features in real agricultural settings.

Daedong announced Tuesday that it will run the customer test-ride program through the end of the year, allowing farmers to operate the HX1400 AI and HX1200 AI tractors firsthand and evaluate how the autonomous driving technology could be applied to their own farming conditions.

Farmers can sign up through Daedong's website or customer service center. After registration, regional centers will contact each applicant individually to coordinate schedules and the specifics of the test ride.

The program is designed to shift the focus away from the spec-driven approach that has traditionally guided farm equipment purchases — horsepower, work capacity and the like — and instead let customers assess usability during actual autonomous operation. The real-world experience of an AI tractor can vary depending on how work routes are configured, the autonomous driving mode selected and how much the operator intervenes during a task, making hands-on testing central to the initiative.

The HX series AI tractors, launched in April, are equipped with vision AI powered by six cameras and precision positioning technology. The HX1400 AI is a 142-horsepower model, while the HX1200 AI delivers 127 horsepower.

The tractors use their cameras to recognize farmland and working conditions and carry out autonomous operations. Using the "A-Motion Easy Mode," operators can set work routes based on A-B straight lines, curved paths or azimuth bearings. Daedong has applied the autonomous work function to tasks such as puddling in flooded paddies and ridge formation in dry fields.

"As AI farm equipment becomes more widespread, customers' criteria for choosing products are rapidly shifting from mechanical performance to real-world work efficiency and how well the technology can be put to use," said Choi Hyung-woo, head of Daedong's domestic business division. "We will create an environment where customers can fully understand and choose our products, and expand the market foundation so that AI tractors can take hold as a new way of farming."