LONDON -- Lotus unveiled the Evora 400, a revised version of its flagship Evora sports car that will spearhead the brand’s return to the U.S. market.
Lotus has moved the mid-engine coupe further upmarket to better compete with the likes of the Porsche 911 and Audi R8.
The Evora, the British automaker's only model sold in the U.S., was dropped for the 2015 model year because it no longer met federal crash standards.
The Evora 400 will come with side airbags to allow the car to be sold in U.S starting at the end of this year. "The U.S. will be our biggest market for the Evora,” CEO Jean-Marc Gales told Automotive News Europe.
The Evora 400 replaces the Evora and Evora S currently on sale in Europe. It will be unveiled at the Geneva auto show on March 3. European sales will start in August.
Lotus said the Evora 400 is the "fastest and most powerful production Lotus" to date. It has a top speed is 186 mph (300kph) and accelerates from 0-60 mph is 4.1 seconds (0-100kph in 4.2 seconds).
Lotus has increased the power of the Toyota-sourced 3.5-liter V6 engine to 400hp from 345 hp in the Evora S, whose top speed was 178 mph (286kph).
More than two thirds of the Evora 400 is new and the car is 22kg (48lbs) lighter than the current Evora, helped by a redesigned aluminum chassis.