2017 Bugatti Chiron revealed

With a top speed in excess of 420km/h, no other car on sale today comes close. But don't expect to see one on the road soon. Price: $3.8 million plus taxes.

Forget saving the planet, this supersonic supercar has almost enough grunt to lap the globe.

The successor to the world's fastest production car has been unveiled ahead of the Geneva motor show overnight.

The Bugatti Chiron can reach 100km/h in a mind-boggling 2.5 seconds and has a top speed of in excess of 420km/h -- both of which make it faster than a Formula One race car.

The numbers behind the Bugatti Chiron have rev heads in a spin

The Chiron is the replacement to the award-winning Bugatti Veyron, which set the record for the world's fastest car twice: once in 2005 (408.47km/h) and again in 2010 (431.072km/h) with an updated model.

The Bugatti Chiron is expected to eclipse the 431km/h record with an even more powerful model next year -- but, for now, it is the fastest production car on sale anywhere in the world.

It is so quick, Michelin had to create special tyres that wouldn't explode at such high speeds.

The numbers behind the Bugatti Chiron have rev heads in a spin.

The W16 engine (two V8s mounted back-to-back) is boosted by four turbochargers.

It is by far the most powerful engine ever fitted to a production car, with a mind boggling 1103kW of power (almost 1500 horsepower in the old money) and a staggering 1600Nm of torque.

Translated: the Bugatti Chiron has 50 per cent more grunt than the original Veyron released in 2005, and is the equivalent of four Holden Commodore V8 engines in one.

Power is delivered via a seven-speed automatic gearbox that drives all four wheels.

The brakes are bigger than those fitted to a Formula One race car, which means the Chiron can come to a stop from 100km/h in less time and a shorter distance than a Toyota Yaris hatchback could complete the same test.

The French supercar brand, owned by German car maker Volkswagen since 1998, reportedly lost money on each of the 450 Bugatti Veyrons made from 2005 to 2015.

Just 500 will be made

But the company says it won't make that mistake again.

The original Bugatti Veyron was priced from €1 million plus taxes (about $AUD1.5 million) but the new model will cost €2.5 million plus taxes (about $AUD3.8 million). Just 500 will be made.

If it were sold in Australia, the Luxury Car Tax alone (33 per cent for every dollar above $63,184) would add $1.2 million to the price, bringing the total cost to an even $5 million locally.

However, no Bugatti Chiron supercars are destined for Australia as the model is planned for left-hand-drive only, as with its predecessor.

Despite this, at least one Veyron has made it Down Under in the hands of an anonymous collector who can only use it on a private track as it cannot be registered.

Overseas, the Bugatti Veyron attracted the rich and famous -- and some who couldn't afford it.

Actor and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was often snapped by paparazzi driving a silver Veyron.

Police in Dubai also have one on their supercar fleet.

But at least one US owner of a Bugatti Veyron appeared to have over-committed himself financially.

Last year, the owner of a scrap yard that specialises in supercars was sentenced to one year in prison for deliberately driving his Veyron into a lake, in an attempt to claim the insurance money.

At the time, he said he swerved to avoid a low-flying pelican. But the ‘accident' was caught on camera after car fans noticed the Bugatti Veyron driving near the lake.

Fast facts: Bugatti Chiron
Price: €2.5 million (about $AUD3.8 million before taxes)
Engine: W16 (two V8s mounted back-to-back)
Turbochargers: Four
Power: 1103kW/1600Nm
0 to 100km/h: Less than 2.5 seconds
Top speed: In excess of 420km/h
Weight: 1995kg