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Lotus planning new 400-hp 2-Eleven successor [UPDATE]

UPDATE: A previous version of this post suggested the Evora's new 400-horsepower V6 might find its way into the Elise, but sources indicate that it wouldn't fit. The text below has been updated accordingly. It's been nine months since Jean-Marc Gales took over as the new head of Lotus, and as Top Gear recently discovered, the former Peugeot chief is cleaning house. Gales doesn't put himself in the camp of past Lotus execs (Dany Bahar chief among them) who've reasoned that the company can only succeed if it introduces new and more upscale products. Instead he's focusing on the brand's existing models – namely the Elise, Exige and Evora – but don't think that means they'll just be skating by. On his watch, Lotus recently introduced the Elise S Cup (apparently the first model it ever introduced on schedule) and the new Evora 400 (ahead of schedule), and there are plans for more. Though Gales apparently has no intention of producing an engine in-house, the Toyota-based 3.5-liter supercharged V6 – now producing 400 horsepower and 302 pound-feet of torque – is slated to be slotted into the Exige as well. Perhaps most exciting, though, is the prospect of a successor for the 2-Eleven. That windowless speedster was the most extreme interpretation of the Exige, packing just 252 hp but weighing less than 1,500 pounds. The next version would weigh considerably more – closer to 2,000 pounds – but pack that new 400-hp engine to drive the power-to-weight ratio through the roof (if it even has one) in pursuit of a Nurburgring lap record. Don't expect it to switch to carbon fiber construction, though: Like his colleagues at Ferrari, Gales is convinced that aluminum is the way to go, offering comparable weight-saving benefits but at a fraction the cost. To ensure that these new products don't disappear in a cloud of tire smoke and irrelevance, Gales is also overhauling the way Lotus markets its cars. For one thing, he's opening new showrooms in key markets like Paris, Berlin, Monte Carlo and Abu Dhabi. For another, he's making sure Lotus actually keeps a database of its customers, something which it almost unbelievably didn't bother with until now. Those might not be the most exciting aspects of the business, but if that's all it will take to keep Lotus in the game, we're all for it. Featured Gallery Lotus 2-Eleven track car View 18 Photos News Source: Top GearImage Credit: Lotus Lotus lotus 2-eleven

Renault will buy back Lotus F1 Team

Renault's relationship with Red Bull may be about to crumble, but the French automaker isn't calling it quits on Formula One altogether. Instead, Renault will cease being an engine supplier and instead acquire Lotus F1 to become a full-fledged manufacturer and team owner again. The long-anticipated deal will see Renault re-acquire the team currently known as Lotus F1 from present owner Genii Capital, an investment fund. Renault owned the team outright before selling it to Genii back in 2009. This move will see the Enstone outfit move back under Renault's roof – and hopefully get more resources than Genii could muster. Renault recently had to come to the team's rescue after an outstanding tax bill threatened to send it into bankruptcy. The deal will likely mean the end of the Lotus name in F1 once again, after the rights were hotly contested between this team and the now-departed Caterham outfit. The Enstone-based outfit will become Renault's principal team, just as Mercedes and Ferrari run their own teams and also supply engines to others. Over its various eras of ownership, the team has shown that it has what it takes to win, given the right drivers and resources. The question is whether Renault can get its engines up to speed again to catch up to its rivals. The partnership between Daimler and the Renault Nissan Alliance created speculation that the two could strike a deal in F1 as well that could see Renault running Mercedes engines in the future - just like the Lotus team currently does. F1 : SIGNATURE OF A LETTER OF INTENT BETWEEN RENAULT GROUP AND GRAVITY MOTORSPORTS S.A.R.L Renault Group and Gravity Motorsports S.a.r.l., an affiliate of Genii Capital SA, are pleased to announce the signature of a Letter of Intent regarding the potential acquisition by Renault of a controlling stake in Lotus F1 Team Ltd. The signature of this Letter of Intent marks Renault's first step towards the project of a Renault Formula 1 team from the 2016 racing season thereby extending 38 years of commitment of the brand to world's premier motorsport championship series. Renault Group and Gravity will work together in the coming weeks to eventually turn this initial undertaking into a definitive transaction provided all terms and conditions are met between them and other interested parties. Related Video: Featured Gallery Lotus Renault GP 2011 livery News Source: Renault Earnings/Financials Motorsports Lotus Renault F1 genii capital

Lotus supposedly working up a new Elan, again

Geely's investment in Volvo, and giving Volvo the freedom to do what Volvo knows how to do, propelled the Swedish automaker to another level. This could be the year English automaker Lotus begins the same climb. Late last year, Bloomberg said Geely committed an initial $2 billion to the Lotus renaissance. That number was low, the Financial Times reporting Geely planned to invest billions over the next five years. In May this year, Lotus announced it was hiring 200 new engineers and opening a new engineering center to develop a new range of SUVs, GTs, and sedans that would expand consumer appeal to triple its current annual volume. Sports cars are a vital part of the new mix as well, Autocar citing Lotus insiders for a report that a new Elan convertible sports car has "a strong possibility of being revived in the next few years" as a nameplate.    Lotus made a splash about bringing back the Elan — along with a new Esprit, Eterne, Elise, Elite, and city car — at the 2010 Paris Motor Show. That was a very different Lotus, when Malaysian automaker Proton owned the English outfit and ex-Ferrari marketing honcho Dany Bahar manned the helm. In spite of promises of funding, the team at Hethel lurched through years of corporate drama and dire finances until Geely took over in 2017. The latest Elan whispers sketch a convertible targeting the Porsche 718 Boxster - Lotus in general has Porsche in its sights. The car pictured above is from the first re-animation of the Elan badge, from 1989 to 1995. A coming Elan would sit above the Elise in the lineup, with more space, amenities, and luxury, at the same time as it would focus on being the lightest and most agile in the segment. Before that arrives, however, Lotus needs to finish developing the sports car platform that will help carry the brand's new range for the next decade; The Lotus SUV uses Volvo's SPA architecture that carries the XC90 and XC60. CEO Phil Popham's Vision-80 program — which now seeks to grow annual volume not merely triple but six-fold to 10,000 cars by 2029 — will be centered around the multi-material architecture that replaces the Elise and Evora architectures presently employed. Due in two years, the rivet-bonded "alloy-core" chassis will likely include carbon fiber and other advanced materials.