The Tsutsumi plant in Japan, the only producer of Priuses worldwide, has a global backlog of 100,000 cars as demand for the new hybrid outstrips supply.
Latest sales figures show that 1 in 10 cars currently sold in Japan is a Prius. In the UK, Toyota is quoting a wait of 10 weeks for a new Prius.
In related news, Toyota is planning a Prius coupe to go head to head with the Honda CR-Z.
The sleek, sporting hybrid is expected to be part of a Prius family, which would also include an MPV that could line up against a hybrid production version of the Honda Skydeck. Honda is keen to regain its footing in the hybrid market and Toyota, which was understood to have ditched the idea of expanding the Prius range, has been urged to respond.
The Prius coupe would use the same 1.8 litre VVT-i hybrid powertrain and chassis as the hatch version with 134bhp. A more aerodynamic body and possible weight saving would bring slight improvements to the 10.4sec sprint to 60mph and 110mph top speed.