Volkswagen's chief executive has claimed that diesel powered cars are the way forward for those seeking to curb emissions and pollution.

Bernd Pischetsrieder told the Detroit News that the trend for gasoline-electric hybrid engines was not necessarily the only way to develop the next generation of clean cars.

As a major producer of diesel-powered vehicles, Volkswagen is a keen supporter of the industry, with Mr Pischetsrieder reflecting on the company's own experience of advanced diesel engines.

"Any significant reduction of fuel consumption under all conditions requires diesel technology," he said before delegates at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

Hybrids, he argued, use "substantially more fuel than modern diesels, and they cost more to produce".

The US, like many Western countries, is overhauling its emissions legislation, with California leading the way.

Under new rules manufacturers are required to meet exacting emission standards for all their vehicles, with both hybrid and diesel solutions among the technologies being developed.