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Compact seven-seat SUV spied in powered-up AMG 45 guise. School runs will sure be speedy with this one.

It hasn’t even been revealed in production form as yet, but the Mercedes-Benz GLB looks like it’s going to get a hi-po AMG 45 version, if this recently spied prototype is anything to go by.

First previewed in near-production concept form at the Shanghai motor show last month, the GLB will slot between the next GLA and the larger GLC in Benz’s crossover line-up, and like its stablemates it will get an AMG-fettled variant boasting quite a lot of power.

Being based on the same platform as the new A-Class and CLA, which both will get stonking 300kW four-cylinder turbo engines, it’s more than likely the GLB45 will get the same, with an eight-speed dual-clutch auto sending grunt to a performance-tuned 4Matic all-wheel drive system.

We can also distinguish this prototype from the GLB35 we saw in March thanks to the quad-tipped exhaust out the rear, different to the dual outlets popping out of the bumper of the other car.

Other upgrades will include AMG’s Panamericana front grille, a sports body kit with deeper front intakes, large alloy wheels with beefier brakes, and a sports exhaust system feeding into those quad pipes to enhance the snarl of that high-output four-cylinder engine.

It’ll be quick, too. The smaller and lighter A45 S is expected to dip under the 4.0 second mark for its 0-100 claim in its next generation. With that in mind, the bigger, boxier and heavier GLB should achieve the same feat in around 4.5 seconds.

The standard Mercedes-Benz GLB is expected to be revealed in full later this year, perhaps at the Frankfurt motor show in September, before going on sale very late in 2019 or early 2020.

Expect Australian deliveries to commence sometime next year, with the AMG version to follow 6-12 months after that.

Stay tuned for all the latest, and click on the images for the full gallery.