Ever since its first debuted, Mercedes-AMG's rather unhinged A45 has been a power-output benchmark for the rest of the hatchback market to ogle at from a distance. And, true to form, that trend looks set to continue with the forthcoming new model.
AMG has announced details around the power and torque of the A45's next-gen engine. And, by their accounts, it's set to be an utter monster.
The A45 will be powered by AMG's 2.0-litre M 139 engine, which the firm has confirmed will be "the world's most powerful turbocharged four-cylinder engine in series production". Quite the statement.
The newly developed unit will produce a monstrous 310kW of power and 500Nm of torque. That's an increase of 30kW and 25Nm over the M 133 in the outgoing A45 (which itself was already a bit of a road rocket).
The asterisk to place next to that power figure is that it will only apply to S-Model versions of the A45. Standard A45s will make (a still rather potent) 285kW and 480Nm.
So, for reference. A current Audi RS3 makes 294kW and 480Nm, while mainstream entries like the Ford Focus RS and Honda Civic Type R make 257kW/440Nm and 228kW/400Nm respectively.
"We already set the benchmark in the segment with the preceding engine," says Tobias Moers, Chairman of Mercedes-AMG GmbH.
"This fundamentally new four-cylinder presented us with the challenge of doing even better. And we succeeded with a number of sometimes revolutionary solutions. With the M 139, we have once again impressively demonstrated the engine expertise of Mercedes-AMG.
"Not only is the output per litre unrivalled for a turbocharged engine, the high level of efficiency also demonstrates that the internal combustion engine still has further potential."