Toyota 'may super-size the Prius'

Toyota's Prius has benefited from government incentive schemes

Toyota is planning a new Prius car, which will take the form of a station wagon or SUV, press reports say.

It will be powered by a new kind of battery and will go on sale by the end of 2010, says the Yomiuri newspaper. Toyota declined to comment.

Its hybrid Prius car is championed by environmentalists around the world, while the traditional sports utility vehicle has been vilified.

The whole car industry is competing to come up with more powerful green cars.

The paper says the new car would use a lithium-ion battery for the first time - which is more powerful than the nickel-metal hydride battery currently used in hybrids.

If Toyota is successful, it could widen its lead over rivals. The Prius has been a top-seller, benefiting from government ecological incentives.