2022 will go down in history as the year when AMG put a four-cylinder engine inside the C63. The very same M139 unit aka the world's most powerful four-cylinder mill put in a series production car is also found under the bonnet of this prototype. We're looking at an A45 facelift caught resting between two test sessions somewhere in northern Europe. It would appear it's getting slimmer headlights and fresh graphics for the taillights.
We've spotted a more important change on the inside where the touchpad for the infotainment system is missing in action. Chances are the facelifted version will indeed lose the supplementary way to control the MBUX since the car appears to have the production layout. The newly gained storage area has also erased the buttons that were around the touchpad while the remaining controls have been moved ahead, just before the cupholders.
Gallery: 2023 Mercedes-AMG A45 facelift spy photos
As to whether there will be changes to the 2.0-litre petrol engine, we wouldn't count on it. It already makes a massive 416 bhp and 369 lb-ft of torque in the AMG A45 S. Yes, the C63 is getting an electric turbocharger shared with the AMG One hypercar, but it's highly unlikely the compact hyper hatch will benefit from the tech.
The four-pot is already more potent than the larger inline-five 2.5 TFSI unit of the new Audi RS3, so it hasn't lost its power crown. Perhaps a mild-hybrid setup is coming to curb emissions, but we wouldn't necessarily count on it. Should the engineers plant to give the baby AMG model 48V tech, that would come along with a temporary power boost as seen in the bigger "53" models with their inline-six engines.
The previous spy photos:
Mercedes will revamp the entire A-Class lineup later this year.
Source: CarPix