Lotus Confirms the 4-Eleven and Evora 400 Roadster While Defending its Upcoming SUV

Lotus 3-Eleven (Credit: © Lotus)

It is a well-publicized fact that Lotus is planning to build a sporty crossover SUV in China in an attempt to increase profits. Some Lotus faithful, however, see this as sheer blasphemy and demand an explanation. Lotus CEO, Jean-Marc Gales defended the crossover in an interview with TopGear, and during said interview, he released some juicy bits about the upcoming Evora 400 Roadster and the 4-Eleven.

» Related: Lotus Reveals the 3-Eleven

Unfortunately, the majority of his time with TopGear was spent defending the crossover, so there aren’t too many details to go over. For the Evora 400 Roadster, Gales mentioned that the model’s top would include three carbon-fiber panels that will weigh just 3 kg (6.6 pounds) each. This will keep the roadster’s weight very close to that of the standard Evora 400, resulting in similar performance numbers.

As for the 4-Eleven, Gales was far less candid. Instead, he simply mentioned in passing that “I also have a plan for a 4-Eleven in two years.” My best guess for this model would be a car that is in the same vein as the 3-Eleven (a topless track car) with some visual tweaks, a more powerful engine, and a slightly higher production number.

The 3-Eleven is based on Lotus Exige, but with a retuned 3.5-liter V-6 that produces an insane 450 horsepower. Thanks to its huge power and 900 kg (1,984-pound) curb weight in its race version, the 3-Eleven can hit 60 mph in less than three seconds and it tops out at 180 mph (road-going version). The 4-Eleven would likely have to be closer to 475 to 500 horsepower to warrant the new model, putting its 60 mph sprint at around 2.5 seconds and its top speed at about 200 mph.

Then again, the 4-Eleven could just be a mildly updated continuation of the 3-Eleven, but I doubt Lotus would risk going down that road and angering its limited client base.

Stay tuned for more details on these two sports car and the upcoming SUV, which Gales says is scheduled to hit production in 2019 or 2020.