Looking unchanged from the white prototype spied at the Nürburgring earlier this month, the grey example spotted by the walkoART YouTube page driving sedately through a village in Germany still refuses to let go of the majority of its black-and-white wrapping, with the Panamerica grille and the entire front facia still hidden.

While the masking extends down to the door sills and around the diffuser, as well as the three-pointed star logo, the rear end is otherwise devoid of any camouflage, including on the integrated boot spoiler. Although the interior has not yet been seen, expect it to take a number of cues from that of the A35, but with certain options likely to be standard.

What is however known is that the A45 will come powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine outputting 298kW, with drive being send to all four wheels via an adoption of the eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox that debuted on the new B-class at the Paris Motor Show last month.

Also confirmed to receive a chassis setup that will enable it to drift, the A45 could however spawn an even more powerful model rumoured to be called A45 S or A50, powered by the same engine albeit with the 48-volt EQ Boost electric motor added for a mild-hybrid setup.

Following on from its speculated world debut sometime next year, the A45 will become available in sedan guise for markets, namely the United States, where the hatch won’t be sold soon after.