Bugatti Chiron: what do we know?

Bugatti says it will reveal "the world's most powerful, fastest, most luxurious and most exclusive production super sports car" at the Geneva Motor Show next week.

The car-maker has been coy ahead of the launch of its Veyron-replacing Chiron megacar, but word of mouth and several spy shots, combined with what we know already, puts together a picture of the vehicle ahead of its official unveiling.

So what should we expect from the next Bugatti?

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We know what it should look like

At the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show, the Bugatti revealed its new Vision Gran Turismo concept car and this, together with images of the Chiron testing on public roads, hints strongly at the design.

The production version will lose much of the race-bred appendages seen on the concept car but will keep many of its crucial lines. It should be a more aggressive, angular evolution of the design language used on the Veyron.

Spy shots published by GT Spirit show that at the front end especially, the Chiron has inherited the concept car's lines.

There are 100 owners already waiting

Bugatti says it has found 100 customers for the Chiron at a series of private previews. According to Town & Country magazine, the company has toured the world to give selected customers a preview of the new model in incredibly secretive circumstances.

"There are no written invitations. Customers receive an oral invitation from their Bugatti customer adviser or dealer. The precise location of the car is always a closely guarded secret," it says.

The exclusive few are led into a room where "a show consisting of light, sound and projection" dazzles them before the car is revealed.

Apparently, boxer Floyd Mayweather has already parted with $3.5m (£2.5 million) for a Chiron, reports TMZ, trading in his old Veyron early - though Car Magazine says it expects the Chiron to cost less, at £1.6 million.

It will be very, very fast

There's no official figures yet, but expect them to be record-breaking.

Auto Express says the Chiron could have as much as 1,672bhp if the Vision Gran Turismo is anything to go by. Translating its stats into real life, a 0-62mph time of two seconds flat and a 270mph+ V-Max could be on the cards.

Top Gear reckons around 1,400bhp will be on tap, making for similar performance figures, but some publications have gone even further, touting a very specific 288mph top speed.

The Chiron will likely use the same 8-litre W16 used in the Veyron, albeit in a higher state of tune. Pistonheads notes it's not out of the realms of possibility that it could use hybrid technology alongside the petrol power, especially considering the LaFerrari, McLaren P1 and Porsche 918 all use battery packs for optimum performance.

It reflects well on VW

Bugatti is owned by VW and in the wake of the US emissions scandal, the Chiron could quite easily have been axed if the board had deemed it either inappropriate or too costly to develop due to its ongoing internal struggles and the bad publicity that had been generated.

It's unclear if the Chiron will even make money for the company, Evo adds, as each Veyron represented a "significant loss". Production is tipped to be at around 450 units, with customers taking delivery in 2017.