Toyota has unveiled plans to increase production of its Prius hybrid car by 50 per cent during the first six months of next year.

It means that output of the gasoline-electric powered cars will rise from 10,000 a month to 15,000.

Senior managing director Takeshi Suzuki explained at a press conference in Tokyo that the boost in production was needed to clear a backlog of orders in the US.

The Prius, which retails for US$25,000, has been one of Toyota's the best-selling passenger cars in the US since it was launched in 1997.

Demand for the Prius has more than doubled in America over the past year to 21,783, with 50,000 expected to be sold in total this calendar year.

Takeshi Suzuki told Automotive News: "Demand in America is very strong, so we'd like to focus production more on overseas [non-Japanese] markets."