Mercedes recently revealed an all-new A-Class, which will be sold in the US as a sedan for the first time ever. We know the A-Class will spawn up to eight variants, at least one of which will be an updated A45 AMG model. We've heard rumors indicating this new car will produce around 400 horsepower, and at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show, AMG boss Tobias Moers took the opportunity to shed some light on the upcoming A45 AMG, telling Autocar to expect "well over 400 bhp" from a tuned version of the current 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder.

This would put it well above the current A45 (375 hp) and right within the realm of the current hot hatch king, the Audi RS3. In fact, the A45 has the potential to claim the record of horsepower per liter. The current record holder is the McLaren Senna (around 197 hp per liter). The new A45 has been dubbed the "Predator" by company insiders do to its extreme, class-leading performance. We expect the A45 to easily keep up with the 400 hp Audi RS3 in a drag race and match the upcoming BM2 M2 around a track. Moers wants the A45 to be the hot hatch "benchmark" in both power and handling.

Even though power is the big headline, Moers told The Motor Report "Power output is nothing without the driving dynamics which is able to follow the power output." We expect the new A45 to be revealed later in 2018 and adopt the Mercedes Panamericana front grill. Like the model before it, this new A45 has the potential to dominate the hot hatchback segment.