The new Mercedes-AMG A45 S is one seriously quick car. Equipped with the most powerful series production four-cylinder engine in automotive history - a turbocharged 2.0L unit cranking out 415 gnarly horsepower - the A45 can go from naught to 60 mph in just 3.9 seconds, according to its manufacturer. Its blistering acceleration is abetted by an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and 4Matic+ AWD.

So how is the super-potent hot hatch on a race course? Predictably superb. German publication Sport Auto recently took the car around the Nürburgring Nordschleife, lapping the "Green Hell" in a scant 7 minutes, 48.8 seconds.

That's not necessarily all the little AMG has in it, either; auto manufacturers like AMG typically set their official Nordschleife lap times after days of practice laps, with big-time professional racing drivers at the wheel. Sport Auto's test driver Christian Gebhardt is himself a bona fide hot shoe, but we rather doubt he had as much time to get acquainted with the car.

Moreover, the Honda Civic Type R put in a 7:43.8 lap time in April, 2017 in Honda's hands, albeit with a removed infotainment system and removed rear seats. With an extra 100 horsepower and all-wheel drive instead of front-wheel drive, there's no reason the AMG shouldn't be faster.

Granted, Sport Auto's time on the Nürburgring Nordschleife is nonetheless enough to trump plenty of impressive machines, even beating Sport Auto's own lap times for the BMW M2 Competition and the new Toyota GR Supra. It's nearly as quick around the Green Hell as the Lotus Exige Cup 380 and the 997.1 Porsche 911 GT3 RS.

Now, the bad news: if you live in the US, you absolutely won't be able to buy the new Mercedes-AMG A45 S hatchback, as the German luxury performance car manufacturer has no plans to sell it here. However, American customers might be given the option of the sedan version of the AMG A45 and A45 S. We're hoping against hope that's true.