The future, according to most European car manufacturers, is diesel. Audi, BMW, Mercedes and even Jaguar sell growing numbers of increasingly powerful diesel-engine models. However, Porsche will not be joining them.

Wendelin Wiedeking, chief executive of Porsche says: “We don’t believe in diesel.” And he said environmental laws favouring diesel “don’t give real environmental advantages”.

Porsche had been expected to add a diesel to its Cayenne SUV range but will stick with the V8 and V6 petrol engines.

The attitude has not affected sales.

Wiedeking, supposedly Germany’s highest-paid automotive executive and in charge of one of the world’s most profitable car companies, says Porsche is heading for another record year, making 75,000 cars. The future target is 100,000 a year.

The new Porsche 911 goes on sale in the UK in September, and just one week after the first reviews appeared there are already 1,000 orders from Britain alone. Wiedeking also says a final decision on whether to produce a four-door sports saloon is likely by the end of the year.