The Kubota tractor brand has the potential to take the Irish market by storm with some of the machinery it is currently developing.

That's according to Murt Murphy, a salesperson at Ireland's only full-line Kubota dealer FJS Plant Agri & Groundcare in Naas, Co. Kildare.

The Japanese company is one of the world's most recognised tractor brands.

Known for its reliability and robustness, it would not be uncommon to see a Kubota tractor in Ireland that is more than 40-years-old and still running well.

While Murphy says that Kubota currently have the largest market share in the 120hp tractor category, its "still probably growing in the market", as it is still seen by some as a compact tractor brand.

According to Murphy, that should not be the case, especially when the depot in Naas has access to Kubota's M7 four cylinder tractors that can produce 170hp.

The M7174 tops out at 170hp, pulling a strong performance from the four-cylinder 6.1L engine and sits in the same power range as the Fendt 516 Vario and New Holland's T6.175.

Murphy said: "People are still saying 'Kubota make a great digger, a great lawnmower'; they're still learning how good of an agricultural tractor they make.

He also spoke about the robustness and quality associated with Kubota, calling it "the Toyota of tractors".

While many agricultural operators will associate good build quality with Kubota's compact tractors and diggers, Murphy says that the trait is found right across the brand's lineup of equipment, including its bigger tractors.

Murphy said: "From a sales perspective, I can actually sell a tractor and look a guy straight in the eye and know that I have sold him a machine that's going to last, work well and hold a decent residual value when it comes to trading it back in".

Kubota innovation

In terms of future developments in the brand, Kubota has been making big steps in autonomous machinery for several years now.

With a range of tractors, rice transplanters and combine harvesters that can be autonomous, it is clearly a pathway that the company wants to explore across it's machinery.

According to Murphy, automated machinery may have a key role to play for Irish agriculture in the future.

He said: "The simple reason is to find people working, to actually work tractors, it's getting harder and harder to find employees.

"The way they (Kubota) have it set up, the tractor is fully automated, but it can be changed from tractor to tractor.

"Just because a tractor is automated doesn't mean it can't be driven or worked by a farm-man, so what they're looking at is automating standard tractors."

According to Murphy: "Ireland's only starting to see what's coming forward with Kubota," referencing the large technical leaps the brand has made in recent years.

Murphy believes that Kubota could prove a credible threat to top agricultural machinery brands in Ireland if farmers give the brand the chance.

Battery-powered tractors

Another innovation route Kubota has been venturing down is battery-powered products.

In 2023, the company began providing a long-term paid rental service for compact electric tractors in some parts of Europe.

The tractor can provide between three and four hours of "continuous operation" after one hour of rapid charging.

According to Kubota: "Rapidly recharging the battery during one's lunch break means the tractor can continue to run in the afternoon."

In 2024, the company released both an electric zero-turn mower and battery-powered mini digger.

The mower is aimed at directly providing an electric alternative to Kubota's existing line of zero-turn mowers, which are designed more so for local governments and contractors.

The mini digger has been equipped with energy-saving featues such as an "eco mode" that adjusts the motors rotation speed.

Kubota says that this ensures "four hours of continuous operation".

The digger is set to be supplied under rental contracts through local dealers.

Kubota also plans to further explore battery-powered machinery, seeing it as a viable alternative to fossil-fuel machines.

It said: "We intend to further expand our lineup of environment-conscious products while deepening our knowledge of issues encountered during the use of this model".

Economic performance

Kubota recently released its 2026 integrated sustainability report, where it looks at the previous fiscal year and shares how it plans to move forward.

North America and Japan are currently its most important markets, generating the most revenue for the Kubota Group, with ¥1.219 trillion (€6.57 billion) and ¥685.2 billion (€3.69 billion) respectively.

Europe sits at roughly half the market size of Japan or a quarter of that in North America.

Generating ¥349 billion (€1.88 billion), Europe made up 12% of the company's ¥3.019 trillion (€16.26 billion) total global revenue in 2025.

This global total shows the scale of the Kubota Group's operation, fielding a year comparable to that of CNH (€15.83 billion).

The Kubota Group did not release figures breaking down Kubota's economic profile country by country, so the company's performance in Ireland cannot be easily judged.

Kubota in Ireland

However, Murt Murphy believes that Ireland can be an economically viable market for Kubota and that, despite the tough challenges farmers are facing at the moment, the brand has a role to play here.

"The market is really tough at the moment" Murphy said, before expanding on benefits of Kubota tractors that help cut down on costs.

He said: "The Kubota tractor being more efficient in fuel, with four cylinders, they also can use biofuel in all their machines.

"In Ireland at the moment, it's challenging for agriculture and for all (machinery) manufacturers I'm sure."

According to Murphy, despite this, Kubota has no plans in slowing down its integration into Ireland's machinery sector.