Add details of the concession in paragraph 3, information of the auction in paragraph 4, and background of Vinci operations in Brazil in paragraph 5

SAO PAULO, Sept 26 (Reuters) - French company Vinci Highways won a concession auction to operate for 30 years a stretch of Brazilian highway BR-040 linking the states of Goias and Minas Gerais on Thursday.

The company, a unit of Vinci SA SGEF.PA, won the concession after it proposed a 14.3% discount from a minimum toll collection established in the auction.

The concession, which has an extension of about 600 kilometers (372.8 miles), demands some 6.4 billion reais ($1.2 billion) in investments.

The auction had four bidders, including Brazilian operator of infrastructure concessions CCR CCRO3.SA.

It will be the first federal highway operted by Vinci in Brazil; the 570 kilometers it already operates are through regional toll roads. It also owns the concession of eight airports in Latin America's largest economy.

($1 = 5.4449 reais)

(Reporting by Alberto Alerigi Jr in Sao Paulo; Writing by Andre Romani; Editing by Anthony Esposito and Leslie Adler)

((Andre.Romani@thomsonreuters.com; 11 991314109;11 56447500;))