AMG is all giddy and excited about their first ever ht hatch, the A45, which is due in early 2013. Recently we had some details on the car’s technical specs, and now we have a couple of images from the car’s prototype released by AMG as a teaser. This car is set to take the crown as the best hot hatchback ever with over 330 horsepower, four-wheel drive and driving characteristics far greater than this segments standards.

Despite what the name A45 might suggest, this sporty A-Class is powered by Mercedes’ 2.0 liter turbo engine. A blue collar engine used in many conventional models. It is however been tuned by AMG experts so it actually has little in common with the one in your C200. AMG says it will make over 400 Nm of torque, which is enough to take the A45 from 0 to 100 km/h in about 5 seconds.

The Mercedes A45 AMG features a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and a permanent four-wheel-drive system. Although, the AWD is setup for sporty handling, which means most of the time the car is actually rear-wheel drive, with power going to the front wheels only when necessary. Sport suspension, brakes, and a three-stage ESP are other highlights of the A4.

And as for the name, A45 pays homage to AMG’s 45-year history of making high performance machines. The company also has very special plans for its 50th anniversary, so stay tuned.