(Yicai) June 6 -- Chinese unmanned vehicle maker XAG has unveiled its new ground autonomous vehicles, slashing prices by over 70 percent compared with previous similar models.

XAG’s R100 and R200 agricultural unmanned ground vehicle series released yesterday are priced at about CNY20,000 (USD2,790) per unit, compared with earlier models priced from CNY70,000 (USD9,760).

This is the company’s third UGV update after 2019 and 2022, with production costs and prices being the main improvement points.

Before, family farms were unable to buy UGV because of the high prices, said Peng Bin, founder and chief executive officer of XAG. Early buyers were mainly overseas owners of large farms who could afford substantial investments to boost planting efficiency, he explained.

After extensive field research, the team determined that a price of around CNY20,000 per agricultural UGV is acceptable for owners of farms with arable land of about 760 square meters, Peng noted, adding that with mass production scaling up in the future, costs will be further cut.

XAG also conducted live demonstrations of the R100 and R200 at its super farm in Guangzhou yesterday. Yicai reporters attending the demonstration observed that the vehicles are easy to use, with the controller similar to that of a toy car.

Drones have some limitations when it comes to citrus grove farming because they cannot evenly water leaves, resulting in high pesticide concentrations, according to a farmer from China’s Sichuan province. Therefore, UGV are a more suitable choice, he added.

Beyond spraying, UGV also have advantages in transportation as they can carry heavier loads. Tian Miao, who manages about 609,120 square meters of vineyards in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, told Yicai he has ordered 20 UGV for post-harvest grape transportation.

Editor: Futura Costaglione