Is This What the Mercedes-AMG A45 Sedan Will Look Like?

TopSpeed

By Ciprian Florea

Published May 1, 2018

The Audi RS3 Sedan is finally getting some competition

Shown in 2017, the four-door version of the A-Class hatchback morphed into a production model at the 2018 Beijing Auto Show. Unveiled with a slightly longer wheelbase than usual, the A-Class Sedan will soon become a global vehicle and will cross the pond to the U.S. to take on the Audi A3 Sedan. Like most Mercedes-Benz models, the standard A-Class Sedan will be followed by an AMG model. Likely to be called the AMG A45 Sedan, the beefed-up four-door will compete against the Audi RS3 Sedan, currently the only performance-rated vehicle in this niche. The AMG model is still at least a year away, but we may already know what it looks like thanks to a new rendering from X-Tomi Design.

Naturally, the souped-up sedan will retain the basic design of the A-Class Sedan, but it will stand out thanks to a handful of AMG-specific updates. Up front, we can see a sportier grille with a honeycomb mesh and a gloss-black stripe on the horizontal chrome slat. The bumper will get a new design too and will include more aggressive side vents with black bezels and a couple of winglets onto the sides. A revised splitter will enhance aerodynamics.

Onto the sides, the AMG A45 Sedan will sport new side skirts with black inserts, black window trim, carbon-fiber mirror caps, and multi-spoke wheels wrapped in low-profile tires. It will also sit closer to the ground thanks to a stiffer suspension setup. Around back, upgrades should include a trunk lid spoiler and a more aggressive diffuser with a quad-exhaust pipe layout.

Obviously, the aggressive looks will be backed by a more powerful drivetrain. The most potent engine announced by Mercedes-Benz so far is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder rated at 188 horsepower, but the AMG will get significantly more than that. The outgoing A45 AMG, offered as a hatchback only, had a 2.0-liter turbo-four rated at 376 horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque, so it's safe to assume that the upcoming model will get closer to 400 horsepower, if not more. The Audi RS3 Sedan comes with exactly 400 horses on top, so Mercedes will likely aim to offer a bit more than that.

The Mercedes-AMG A45 Sedan will probably break cover in the first half of 2019, so make sure you stick around for updates on this model.