Hold onto your monocles chaps: Volkswagen Group CEO Martin Winterkorn has strongly hinted that an oil-burning luxo-barge from Bentley may be on the cards.

Winterkorn dropped the bombshell during an interview with German mag Auto Motor und Sport this week when he said:

“With Bentley we will react to the changing market conditions. I could well imagine a six-cylinder twin-turbocharged diesel in a Bentley.”

The engine Winterkorn was referring to is Volkswagen’s new 3.0 litre twin-turbo V6 diesel, which produces 225kW and a hefty 595Nm of torque. The power figures and the twin-turbo tech will likely delight the Bentley faithful, but will they warm to the idea of a big British limousine powered by the black stuff?

Bentley’s marketing director Adrian Hallmark believes they will, noting that oodles of low-down torque and the more relaxed nature of diesel engines are perfectly suited to the brand. On the other hand, Bentley’s head honcho Franz-Josef Paefgen is opposed to the idea of a diesel-powered model, and has previously said that there are no plans to develop such a car.

Market forces, however, can do strange things to a CEO’s resolve. Watch this space.