After our comparison drive, editor at large Angus MacKenzie asked me which of these cars I'd really prefer to drive. I responded, "Around a racetrack" -- suspecting that's what he was getting at -- "no question, the Porsche. But to the racetrack, the Lexus." And most of our lives are spent, metaphorically speaking, driving to the racetrack. And the M 35h? To neither, I'm afraid.

Third Place: Infiniti M35h
A luxurious and fast-accelerating sedan powered by a clever, minimalist drivetrain. However, it's in desperate need of better software to tame its rough operation.

Second Place: Porsche Panamera S Hybrid
Who would have believed that Porsche could create a four-door, four-seat, front-engined hybrid that handles like a big 911? Now, we do.

First Place: Lexus GS 450h
The best fuel economy here, and substantially superior in terms of driveability. And it handles better than you'd expect too.

Japanese brand Lexus says there is no future in diesel-powered luxury models in decades to come.

Speaking at the 2014 Geneva motor show a senior Lexus executive also confirmed there was more advanced hybrid technology being readied for future models.

The brand rushing to catch German rivals Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi in the overall prestige sales race says it will continue with petrol-electric hybrid models as its fuel misers, skipping the diesels that have become increasingly popular and are dominant in European markets.

“We are committed to hybrid,” says Lexus vice president Mark Templin.

Despite a shift towards diesel-powered vehicles in Europe – led by tax incentives linked to carbon dioxide emissions – Lexus says it will stick with its strategy of providing petrol-electric models for those chasing improved fuel efficiency and reduced emissions.

“It depends on whether you want to look at short term sales potential or you want to look at long term, where the market is going," said Templin.

“If we look 10, 20, 30 years down the road we don’t see the future in diesel. It’s kind of like a feather in our cap that the Germans are now starting to sell their first hybrids.”

Templin said about 80 per cent of Lexuses sold in western Europe are hybrids, similar to the percentage in Japan, where the desire for cutting edge technology is partially driving their popularity.

“Even in markets where you wouldn’t think people would want to buy hybrids we’re selling a lot of hybrids,” said Templin, pointing to the Middle East and US markets.

He added that Lexus was working on its next generation hybrid technology, which would raise the bar for the technology its parent company, Toyota, has made its own.

“There’s some technology that’s coming for hybrid in future that’s going to make it even more exciting,” he said, refusing to go into details. “You’ll have to wait and see.”

He said rather than a giant leap in hybrid technology it would be “consistent technological advancement”.

The news that Lexus sees no future in diesels could come as a shock to parent company Toyota, which relies heavily on diesel-powered models to lead the market.

To be fair the majority of diesel-powered Toyotas are predominantly serious four-wheel-drives and light commercial vehicles, such as the Prado, LandCruiser and Hilux, something that has been instrumental in making the brand a dominant top seller in Australia.

But sales of diesel models, particularly luxury models, have been growing for more than a decade.

Last year 30 per cent of the 1.1 million cars sold in Australia were powered by a diesel engine, up from 17 per cent in 2007. In the same period hybrid vehicles have increased from 0.5 per cent of the market to 1.3 per cent.

The news that Lexus sees no future in diesels could come as a shock to parent company Toyota, which relies heavily on diesel-powered models to lead the market.