As outrageous as it looks, the Bugatti Vision GT isn’t quite as extreme as some other cars in the Vision GT garage — the 2,590-horsepower 2015 SRT Tomahawk Vision Gran Turismo for instance — but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Bugatti designers and engineers wanted keep things in the realm of what’s possible now. That said, Bugattis by their very nature are extreme cars. “We wanted to create a project as realistic as possible for our fans and put a real Bugatti in the virtual world of the PlayStation video game franchise,” explained head Bugatti designer Frank Heyl. “Every design characteristic is defined by its function. Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo is the perfect symbiosis of engineering and aesthetics.”

If you’re not familiar with it, the Vision Gran Turismo project allows designers and engineers from real-world car companies to create cars for the virtual world without the limitations created by regulations, budgets, and in some cases, even reality. The results are then uploaded to Gran Turismo 6 on PlayStation 3 , where they can be enjoyed by gamers everywhere. Several other car companies have already made contributions, and it’s always fascinating to see what they come up with. It also functions as a preview of what might be next for some of these companies.

In addition to its digital form, Bugatti will also reveal a full-size show car at the 2015 Frankfurt International Motor Show , at which point it will simultaneously be added to Gran Turismo 6. But until then, let’s take a closer look at the Bugatti Vision GT.

Did you know Bugatti as a company has never generated even the smallest amount of profit for the Volkswagen Auto Group? A 2013 study concluded that, after research and development costs were taken into account, Bugatti lost a staggering €4.6 million (about $5.16 million by today’s exchange rates) for each of the 450 Veyrons it sold. So, why bother with this type of cash black hole?

For the same reason Bugatti decided to join the Vision GT project: because it’s awesome. Contrary to what others might tell you, Bugatti’s aren’t just exclusive hypercars for billionaires, they’re for everyone. As a halo company, its creations are meant to be seen and talked about. They’re supposed to push the boundaries of what we believe cars are capable of and highlight the engineering prowess within the rest of Volkswagen Volkswagen AG. Putting them in video games allows everyone to enjoy them, which is the entire point of Bugatti’s existence.

“It is part of human nature to cross boundaries and set new records – to run 100 m faster than ever before, to fly even further into space and to enter new realms. This striving is also our driving force at Bugatti,” said Wolfgang Dürheimer, President of Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S., at the presentation of the Chiron. “The Chiron is the result of our efforts to make the best even better.”

With the Chiron, the Bugatti President said that Bugatti had left the dimensions which define the operations of all market players and had established new paradigms that had previously not existed. “Bugatti has tested the limits of physics. There is no area where we have not achieved significant improvements.“

The Bugatti Chiron is the world’s first super sports car to bring 1,500 HP onto the road with a torque of 1.600 Nm at 2,000 to 6,000 rpm with tremendous effectiveness, extremely high safety levels and unprecedented comfort.

This is the result of the legendary and unique eight-litre W16 engine that has been newly developed by Bugatti. In combination with the four new, larger turbochargers that are controlled by the Bugatti two-stage turbocharging, an innovation that Bugatti is introducing, and a large number of other technical refinements and innovations, maximum performance is available constantly and can be easily controlled at all speeds. In its Top Speed mode, the car reaches the maximum speed of 420 km/h, limited for road use – however, this is by no means the end of the road for the Bugatti Chiron.

With the new carbon fibre monocoque, a newly designed adaptive chassis, tyres developed especially for Bugatti and other innovative technologies, the Chiron is not only a champion in terms of maximum acceleration but is, for the first time, also an agile, modern Bugatti with handling that ensures maximum driving pleasure.

The design of the Chiron combines significantly more “beast” with a very high level of “beauty”. The design language introduced by Bugatti with the Chiron has a significantly more aggressive tone and does justice to the character of the new super sports car. The designers have succeeded in reinterpreting Bugatti’s DNA with its distinctive features in a modern manifestation at the same time as adding new features resulting from the technical demands of even higher performance. The Chiron remains unmistakably a Bugatti.

“The Chiron is the quintessential ultimate super sports car: ultra-modern, incredibly fast, agile and powerful with a stylistically demanding design and the highest possible levels of comfort,” says Wolfgang Dürheimer. “This combination is not offered by any other market player and gives Bugatti its unique market position.”

“Our customers form an exclusive group of automobile collectors who are searching for the very best. With the Veyron, they have the best production sports car of the past 10 years,” Dürheimer continues. “This is why their demands and expectations for our next step – the Chiron – were so high.“

Customers’ reactions show that Bugatti has hit the mark. Advance orders have already been received for one third of the production series. “Those who have already considered Bugatti and its unique features in connection with the purchase of a Veyron will find there is no way they can ignore the Chiron,” according to Wolfgang Dürheimer.

“With the Chiron we will not only be providing a key emotional element for the image of the Volkswagen Group but will also be making a positive contribution to Group results,” says Wolfgang Dürheimer.

The Chiron can be seen on the Bugatti stand in Hall 1 at the Geneva International Motor Show from March 1 to 13.