DUESSELDORF (Reuters) - German builder Hochtief's (>> Hochtief) 17.1 billion-euro (£15.2 billion) bid for Spanish toll road operator Abertis (>> Abertis Infraestructuras) is purely based on business considerations, Chief Executive Marcelino Fernandez Verdes said.

"(It had) nothing to do with political decisions," Verdes told journalists at a press conference on Wednesday after announcing the counter-bid to Atlantia's (>> Atlantia) offer.

He added that the headquarters of the combined company would be located in Essen, Germany, and that no job cuts are planned as part of the transaction.

Spain's ACS (>> ACS Actividades de Construccion y Servicios), which currently owns 72 percent of Hochtief, could be diluted to below 50 percent through the Abertis deal, Verdes said.

(Reporting by Arno Schuetze. Editing by Andreas Cremer.)