Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 Caught On Video Nearly Naked At The Nurburgring

When Mercedes revealed the AMG CLA 35 earlier this year at the New York Auto Show, there was no doubt a hotter AMG CLA 45 model was inbound. For one, spy photos of the svelte performance sedan date back to mid-2018, and Mercedes has only expanded its AMG offering as of late. However, we last spotted a prototype testing in March with an unexpected leak of the car's rear end in May. The latest video shows the Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 testing at the Nurburgring.

 The CLA 45 in the new spy video has even less camouflage than before, which now covers the front bumper and fascia, the side skirts, the lower rear fascia, and, for some reason, the rear spoiler, which sticks out on the white prototype. The most notable difference between the CLA 35 and CLA 45 is the exhaust, which spouts four sizable exhaust pipes out the back of the CLA 45. The CLA 45's front fascia looks more aggressive, too.

The CLA 45's reveal is still likely a few months away, but we do know a bit about its powertrain. In June, Mercedes-AMG detailed the official specs of its new 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine – codenamed M 139 inside the company. The mill, which will debut in the AMG A45, will power the CLA 45, America's first encounter with the engine.

The engine will come in two flavors – standard and S. The S version of the M 139, which Mercedes claims is the most powerful four-cylinder engine ever, makes 416 horsepower (310 kilowatts) and 369 pound-feet (500 Newton-meters) of torque. The standard version makes 382 hp (285 kW) and 354 lb-ft (480 Nm) of torque. This aligns with the earlier leak of the car's rear end, which appears to have been the CLA 45 S model.

We don't know when Mercedes will reveal the CLA 45; however, the auto show season is about to kick off soon.