Maruti Suzuki to invest $2.2 bln in India-paper

MUMBAI, March 24 (Reuters) - Maruti Suzuki India Ltd (MRTI.BO: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), India's top car maker, plans to invest 90 billion rupees ($2.2 billion) in India, mostly on research and logistics, the Business Standard daily said on Monday quoting a top official.

"We will invest Rs 9,000 crore (90 billion rupees) in India, which will be over and above the earlier investment programme announced by the chairman last year," Maruti CEO Shinzo Nakanishi told the paper.

Osamu Suzuki, chairman of Suzuki Motor Corp (7269.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), in December had said the Japanese auto maker would invest 200 billion yen in its plants in India between 2007 and 2009 to raise capacity to 960,000 units a year.

Suzuki owns 54.2 percent of Maruti.

The fresh investment would be made over eight years and be used to set up to five large warehouses spread across the country to cut delivery time, the paper said. ($1=40.4 Indian rupees) (Reporting by Narayanan Somasundaram; Editing by John Mair)