It's not that big of a surprise, really. Since the final quarter of 2014, spyshots of the W176 Mercedes-Benz A-Class facelift have been popping up pretty often - shots of its interior and an alleged sole photograph of it completely sans camouflage further proves that the finished article is nigh.
Naturally then, one can expect the fire-breathing AMG variant to receive more or less the same updates inside and out as well. This isn't the first time we're catching a glimpse of the refreshed mad Merc but additional photos help reassure us that one of our favourite performance hatches is well underway.
Looks wise, it doesn't appear that Mercedes-Benz has done a lot of work to its aesthetics which, when taking into account how timeless the current model looks, is no bad thing. The portion with the most amount of tape obviously hints at the mild exterior changes that are bound to make an appearance.
Updates will likely include the adoption of full LED projector headlamps and a mildly reworked front bumper. At the rear, expect the tail lamps to feature new graphics for a more contemporary look while the quad exhaust outlets will likely be housed within a more aggressive, diffuser-like rear bumper.
The MFA platform-based hot-hatch will reportedly arrive on the scene with a whole lot more power in order for the Silver Arrow to keep pace with its now-confirmed Wolfsburg rival, the Volkswagen Golf R 400. Said variant will probably tout a power output in excess of 400 hp and will likely adopt the 'S' nomenclature to help distinguish it over the regular Mercedes-AMG A 45 - following on from the Mercedes-AMG C 63 and C 63 S.
Currently, the turbocharged, 2.0 litre M133 four-cylinder engine pumps out a total of 360 hp at 6,000 rpm and 450 Nm of twist from 2,250 to 5,000 rpm - making this mill the most powerful series production turbo'ed four-banger. Power gets sent to all four corners via an AMG Speedshift DCT seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, enabling a 0-100 km/h sprint time of 4.6 seconds and a limited top whack of 250 km/h.
Inside, one can expect identical changes from the A-Class facelift to carry over, chief of which could be an eight-inch COMAND screen lifted from the facelifted B-Class. Additional updates might include a new steering wheel design along with colour multi-info display screen within the instrument cluster.
Not long now before the full reveal of the Mercedes-Benz A 45 AMG facelift, along with its vanilla siblings. As the rejuvenated W176 range is expected to make its global debut in the third quarter of this year, the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show will most likely serve as the best platform for the German carmaker to do so.
GALLERY: Mercedes-Benz A 45 AMG Edition 1
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