It's no secret that the replacement for Bugatti's legendary Veyron would be called the Chiron — except that apparently it was a secret, because Bugatti just officially announced the name this morning. "Chiron" has been floating around in the automotive press for many months, so today's press release just puts a bow on it.

The name comes from Louis Chiron, a decorated Bugatti driver in the formative years of the 20th century. Beyond the name, the company isn't saying much about the car, although it's widely expected to look a lot like the Vision Gran Turismo concept car revealed at the Frankfurt auto show in September: in other words, a refined Veyron with striking headlamps. It will feature a quad-turbocharged W-16 engine — like the outgoing model — but it'll be faster, with a horsepower figure even higher into the four digits. (The rumored top speed isn't far off from 300 mph, and Bugatti has indicated a desire to strengthen its grip on the "fastest production car" title.)

Most of us will see the Chiron for the first time when it debuts at the Geneva auto show in early March, but some people have already seen it. Bugatti says that it's been conducting private viewings with customers recently — a common strategy with ultra-high-end automotive brands — and it already has over 100 orders on the books. For reference, only 450 Veyrons were made over the car's decade-long run, so 100 orders is not a small percentage.

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