The Mercedes-AMG A45 continues its very slow striptease of taking off camouflage ahead of an anticipated debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. This test mule spends some time at the gas station before doing some laps on the Nürburgring.
It's Here!
With so little camouflage, the concealment on this A45 doesn't hide much, and it's not too hard to discern the design of the few parts wearing concealment. The hot hatch wears a more aggressive body than its lesser siblings, including having the Panamericana grille with vertical slats, a prominent spoiler on top of the hatchback, and four exhaust outlets – two on each side.
Gallery: 2020 Mercedes-AMG A45 Spy Photos
The interior of this car doesn't appear to be to production specifications because we don't expect Mercedes-AMG to equip the A45 with a roll cage from the factory. The Recaro-branded seats likely wouldn't be on the options list, either. Expect the version in dealers to offer heavily bolstered seats, and look for lots of Alcantara and carbon fiber to adorn the cabin.
Mercedes-AMG already confirms that the A45 packs the division's new 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that produces 383 horsepower (286 kilowatts) in the standard trim. The hotter S model boosts the output to 416 hp (310 kW). Both tunes use an eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox with a sophisticated all-wheel-drive system that's capable of sending all of the torque to the rear wheels and even allowing for a tail-happy Drift Mode.
The A45 will be on sale in Europe before the end of the year, but Americans will need to be more patient. The performance powertrain will eventually be available in the CLA-Class, and the sport sedan will likely be on sale at dealers in the United States in 2020.
Source: Automotive Mike via YouTube