Consumer demand for the Porsche Cayenne has prompted the automaker to increase production, the luxury brand said this week.

Global sales of the powerful SUV surged 37 percent in the first half of this year, prompting Porsche to boost the number of Cayennes it will produce from next year.

In the US alone, the number of Cayennes sold jumped from 2,605 in the first half of 2010 to 6,877 in the first half of this year.

To meet the demand, 10 to 20 percent more Cayennes will be built starting next year, in a bid to reduce the amount of time consumers are waiting for the model.

Wait time in China can be as high as 12 months, according to reports — problematic, given that Porsche’s total sales in the country quadrupled last month.

Not content with boosting production of the Cayenne, Porsche may also be considering developing a supercar to slot above its high-performance 911 GT2 RS.

A new model could fit between the €237,600 911 and €768,000 918 Spyder Hybrid to compete with models such as Mercedes-Benz’s top-of-the-range SLS Roadster.

Sources: AFPrelaxnews –  Autonews