NEWSONJAPAN

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, Monday 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 Co. in the closely watched auto sales race. GM reported sales of 7.372 million cars and trucks worldwide earlier this month.

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