TOKYO (Reuters) - Panasonic Corp said it would launch in April in Japan plasma TVs that are a quarter of the thickness and consume half as much electricity as conventional models, in a bid to stir up demand amid a spreading recession.

Panasonic, the world’s largest plasma TV maker ahead of Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, aims to boost its combined sales of LCD and plasma sets by 50 percent to 15.5 million units in the year starting in April.

A 50-inch screen model about an inch in depth that consumes an estimated 260 kilowatt hours of electricity a year is likely to sell for 600,000 yen ($6,685) and a 54-inch model for 700,000 yen, the company said on Tuesday.

Launches in North America are slated for this summer.

(Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka; Editing by Hugh Lawson)