The forthcoming Mercedes-AMG A45 is near production ready and while we don't have exact details yet, we do know that it'll be available in two states of tune; A45 and A45 S. Here's what we know so far.

The Mercedes-AMG A45 really upset the hot hatchback market when it made its arrival back in 2013. Boasting 265 kW and 450 Nm, mated to an all-wheel-drive system, it was devastatingly quick off the line. A facelift version arrived with even more power (280 kW and 475 Nm) which was even more ballistic in a drag race.

With the introduction of W177 aka the 4th generation of A-Class, there was no doubt that there would be a successor. Now officially Mercedes-AMG has not yet revealed this model, instead introducing the A35, which bridges the gap between A250 and the new hardcore road-legal weapon. It pushes out 225 kW and 400 Nm, and with a 0-100 kph claimed sprint of time of 4.7 seconds, it'ssquarely in the crosshairs of the Audi S3 and Volkswagen Golf R.

Another thing we have learned is that the new Mercedes-AMG A45 will follow its bigger siblings naming convention and being available in two distinct flavours, namely A45 and A45 S. We've been led to believe that the South African market will only be receiving the full-fat A45 S model in 2019, with a hopeful arrival in the 2nd quarter, not that long after its A35 warm-up act.

Update:Thanks to a leak on a German insurance website, we can now confirm the power outputs of the next-generation A45 and A45 S. The A45 will have 285 kW, while its more potent sibling breaches the 300 kW barrier with 310 kW! We have also learnt that the A45 will feature Drift Mode, as the below video highlights.

During the Holiday period, Mercedes-AMG released this video

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