Car company Porsche has come under fire after allegedly editing out a statue of Jesus from the background of an advert.

The company was marking 60 years of its 911 sports car by filming the vehicle driving through Lisbon, Portugal.

However, when the car drives past the Cristo Rei landmark, the background merely shows a plinth, and not the figure of Christ.

Inspired by the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the Catholic monument and shrine over looks the city of Lisbon.

It was installed in 1959, after ten years of work, to express gratitude to God for keeping much of the city safe during the second world war.

The decision to edit the statue has sparked backlash on Twitter.

One user accused Porsche of being “woke,” and another called it “insane”. A third commenter said: “That’s just ridiculous, to remove an iconic statue from a commercial.”

Some went as far as to suggest they would no longer buy cars from the brand, saying “for me, Porsche is not an option anymore”.

Another said: “Time to boycott Porsche!”

However, some users found no issue with the removal of the statue, saying it was the usual practice in television adverts that contain “any religious landmarks or signage”.

Porsche has apologised, saying the edit was a "mistake".

The original video has been made private on Youtube, and is no longer available to watch. A new video - including the statue - has been uploaded in it's place.