The move came at a dealers meeting in Winnipeg, Canada, home of Versatile for 40 years, and is the work of company officials working under the new leadership of Russia's Rostselmach, Inc., an 80pc owner of Buhler Industries since November 2007.

Reclaiming the globally-popular name of Versatile, a trade mark for simple, reliable tractors, Buhler also dropped the "Genesis" line of machines it had inherited from the Ford/New Holland era.

In its place, the company introduced the new V250 and V280 front-wheel-assist tractors, bearing their horsepower ratings as models.

The enumeration system applies throughout the Versatile lineup.

Adam Reid, Versatile marketing manager, said the return to the Versatile name and logo made sense since the dealer organisation handling Versatile branded tractors had always viewed themselves as selling Versatile tractors (regardless of who the current owner of the brand was), and farmers worldwide recognise the Versatile brand as a piece of equipment that is rugged, reliable and affordable.

Mr Reid says the new Russian ownership has committed to putting the Versatile brand at the forefront and backing it up with a renewed commitment to 24-hour parts availability throughout North America, a new dealer financing program through AgriCredit, a new Winnipeg-based Technical Manual and Customer Service department and the creation of a North American parts manager position to oversee the distribution of repair parts and service.

The move also completes an agreement with Cummins engines to power all of Versatile's line of tractors with the addition of QSC 8.3L Tier III engines in the V250 (pictured) and V280 tractors which feature 250hp and 280hp, respectively, and boast 24-valve breathing technology, a high-pressure common rail fuel delivery system and up to 5-pulse computer-controlled injection cycles to meet emission compliance.