去年在381马力A45发布之前有报道称，奔驰-AMG计划推出功率达到298千瓦/400马力的S版车型。不过，上述传言并未变成现实，奔驰-AMG老板Tobias Moers宣布，现行版A级车不会搭载采用这种升级的2.0升涡轮增压引擎。因此A45 S不会出现了，但最近谍照记者拍到了新款原型车。仔细看会发现，该车采用了更宽的轮拱，行驶高度也低于普通量产版。此外，在引擎盖边缘能看到一些线束从里面伸出来并深入车厢内。这表明，奔驰正在开发动力更强劲版本，但目前不清楚该车是基于现行版A45还是下一代车型的早期测试车。由于奔驰早就开始测试采用新车身的下一代A级的原型车，因此该车更有可能是现行版A45。由于该车不可能被命名为A45 S，因此可能会采用其它名称，该车更有可能会被命名为“黑色系统”。无论新车叫什么，它都将比现行版A45 AMG 4Matic更快，后者百公里加速时间4.2秒，最高时速经过电子限速后为250公里。由于该车比竞争车型奥迪RS3轿车加速时间慢0.1秒，因此奔驰的目标是使新车加速时间提升至4.1秒甚至更低。考虑到标准版W177 A级车新一代车型将在明年法兰克福车展亮相。因此，这款基于现行版W176的车型将在明年初亮相，很可能是在日内瓦车展首发。

Mercedes-AMG seems to be cooking hotter A45
There were some reports last year before the 381-hp A45’s facelift concerning a new range-topping “S” model with as much as 400 horsepower (298 kilowatts) on tap. However, those rumors failed to materialize and Mercedes-AMG boss Tobias Moers announced such an upgrade for the turbocharged 2.0-liter engine is out of reach for the current-gen A-Class.
So if an A45 S is not on the agenda, then what do we have here? It appears to be a regular prototype, but look closer and you’ll notice it has wider wheel arches and it seems to be sitting lower than the regular production car. In addition, there are some wires sticking out of the hood and going inside the cabin. These are all signs that a stronger version is currently in the works, but will it be based on the existing A45 or we’re actually looking at an early test mule of the next generation?

Since Mercedes-Benz is already out and about testing prototypes of the next-gen A-Class with the new body, we are inclined to believe these spy shots are showing the current A45 will go out with a bang. Since we know for sure it won’t get the “S” suffix, Mercedes-AMG will call it something else, and we highly doubt the folks from Affalterbach will resurrect the “Black Series” designation since it would make more sense to bring it back for a supercar.
Regardless of name, the new version will certainly prove to be quicker than the regular A45 AMG 4Matic, which needs 4.2 seconds until 62 mph (100 kph) before maxing out at an electronically-capped 155 mph (250 kph). It’s a tenth of a second slower in the sprint compared to the Audi RS3 Sedan, so Mercedes-AMG is probably targeting a 4.1-second time or even lower.

Taking into account the regular A-Class W177 is expected to take a bow at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2017, it likely means the last hurrah for the W176 will arrive early next year and we might see it in Geneva in March.