TOKYO — Toyota kept its lead over rivals Volkswagen and General Motors as the world’s top-selling automaker in the first nine months of the year, reporting record sales of 7.615 million vehicles, up nearly 3 percent from the previous year.

Volkswagen said earlier this month it sold 7.40 million vehicles for January-September, barely edging out General Motors in the closely watched auto sales race. GM reported sales of 7.372 million cars and trucks worldwide earlier this month.

Japanese automaker Toyota was in first place in the first half with sales of almost 5.1 million. It finished first last year with a record 9.98 million sales, and is projecting annual sales of 10.2 million vehicles this year. That would be a record.

Toyota, which makes the Camry sedan, Prius hybrid and Lexus luxury models, is doing well despite difficulties in its home Japanese market, where a rise in the sales tax has dampened spending overall, especially auto purchases.

Toyota has publicly played down its spot at the top, saying its focus is on delivering good cars, one at a time.

But the competition is intense.

The three automakers have been close on each other’s heels, competing not only in developed markets such as the U.S. and Europe, but also in the emerging markets of China and the rest of Asia.

Volkswagen, which nudged GM out of second in the first half of the year, stayed ahead of the Detroit automaker even though GM had its best third-quarter global sales since 1980, led by strong sales in China and growth in North America.

GM does not give annual sales projections, but Volkswagen has said it might deliver 10 million vehicles this year.