UPDATE 4-Daimler outlook queried in Abu Dhabi stake deal

* Abu Dhabi fund Aabar open to raising 9.1 pct Daimler stake

* Might look at more deals but only together with Daimler

* Analysts say deal raises concern over industry outlook

* Aabar completes $1.8 billion capital raising

(adds comments from news conference, updates shares)

By Christiaan Hetzner and Thomas Atkins

STUTTGART/DUBAI, March 23 (Reuters) - Daimler (DAIGn.DE) shored up its capital base and secured Abu Dhabi as a friendly investor in a deal some analysts said revealed how tough the auto industry crisis was proving for the luxury German group.

The Gulf emirate's state-controlled International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC) bought a 9.1 percent holding for almost 2 billion euros ($2.73 billion) via its exchange-listed investment vehicle Aabar AABAR.AD.

Investors pushed Daimler's stock higher, despite a 10 percent capital increase that dilutes other shareholders, and the cost of insuring its debt against a default fell, as did that of luxury rival BMW (BMWG.DE). [ID:nLN223605]

But after jumping more than 8 percent, Daimler's shares pared gains to trade up 1.34 percent by 1415 GMT, in line with the DJ Stoxx European car sector index .SXAP. Daimler has lagged the index by around 7 percent this year.

Some analysts questioned what the deal meant for the rest of the sector if a financially solid company took such a step so early in a sector downturn which is threatening the existence of some of the world's major carmakers.

"It is a clearly negative signal for Fiat (FIA.MI), Renault (RENA.PA), and PSA (PEUP.PA): If one of the strongest players in the industry resorts to raising fresh equity, what should the weaker players do?" analysts at Sal Oppenheim wrote.

Aabar Chairman and IPIC Managing Director Khadem Al Qubaisi, who owns a Mercedes-Benz SLR super sports car, left the door open to buying further shares in Daimler in the future.

"Any increase is subject to due diligence and subject to other things but for now we are satisfied with the 9.1 percent stake," he told a news conference, adding that he was not looking to gain a seat on the supervisory board for the moment.

The Aabar chairman said he was "very positive" about the outlook for the German auto industry but ruled out interest in further deals without Daimler's consent or interest.

"We have selected our partner. In case Daimler is interested in buying companies or thinking about buying let's say parts (of companies), we would do it together but alone we cannot do it," he told Reuters after the news conference.