Lotus are targeting fourth place in the constuctors' championship in 2012 after launching their new E20 challenger on Sunday.
The Enstone-based team, who competed as Lotus Renault GP last year, finished fifth in the 2011 standings and were a long way behind fourth-placed Mercedes, but are hoping the new car can help Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean move up the grid.
Team chairman Gerard Lopez says his team must start closing the gap to the front-runners, revealing that fourth place in the constuctors' standings is a realistic target.
"We're trying to bring the car up to the front of the pack. We are trying to aim for fourth as a reasonable goal for this season," said Lopez.
The E20, which was unveiled via online video, adheres to new rules restricting the positioning of exhaust outlets, meaning the team have been required to take a step back from last year's design, which featured the pipes exiting at the front of the sidepods.
The car also features a 'step' in the nose, a design which many of the other teams have gone for in a bid to comply with new safety regulations.