India's largest carmaker Maruti Udyog on Wednesday said its car sales grew by three per cent in September even as production continued to be hit by a prolonged strike at one its major component suppliers.

The company sold 34,543 vehicles during the month against 33,585 units a year ago.

Domestic sales went up by six per cent to 32,551 units but exports slipped by 32 per cent to 1,992 units, a company release said in New Delhi.

Total sales during April-September 2003 surged by 31 per cent to 212,468 units.

Of this, domestic sales jumped by 26 per cent to 190,044 units, while exports soared by 98 per cent to 22,424 units.

Sales of the entry-model Maruti-800 fell by three per cent to 13,524 units but that of Omni and Versa vehicles rose by 16 per cent to 5,193 units in September.

In the compact car segment, sales of the Alto, WagonR and Zen models rose by 11 per cent to 12,256 units.

Maruti clocked a 33 per cent growth in sales of the mid-size cars -- Esteem and Baleno -- to 1,243 units.

Sale of the utility-vehicles Gypsy and Grand Vitara went up by 10 per cent to 335 units.

"Production at Maruti continued to be affected owing to a strike at our vendor, DCM Engineering, which supplies the bulk of our requirement of an important engine component," it said, adding that exports were particularly hit by the strike due to shortage of the component.

Maruti is working with experts from its parent company, Japan's Suzuki Motor Corporation, which has enabled it to increase supplies of the engine component from its alternative suppliers, thus reducing the impact of the strike on its total vehicle production during the month.

Maruti managing director had earlier said that three alternative suppliers -- Hinduja Group company Ennore Foundries, Amtek Auto and Kirloskar Oil Engines -- have been told to hike production of the cylinder block of a vehicle's engine due to the strike at DCM Engineering which accounted for 70 per cent of the total supplies.