Former Swindon speedway ace, Alun Rossiter, who is now manager of Team GB and Swindon Robins speedway teams has picked up a new Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.

Swindon Mitsubishi has supported Alun Rossiter for the last year and has just provided the former rider with a new plug-in hybrid electric vehicle for the next 12 months. With the new model Outlander PHEV, fuel economy has been improved – up from 148mpg to 156mpg – while CO2 emissions are down from 44g/km to 42g/km.

Alun said: ‘As the manager of Swindon and Team GB I have to do a lot of driving all over the place so having the support of Swindon Mitsubishi has been fantastic. The fuel economy of the vehicle is absolutely outstanding. I drive all over the country and it is saving me about £70 a week.’

The dad-of-four added: ‘The new-look Outlander has moved on another level from the previous vehicle – it looks fantastic and it’s even more economical.’ Just over two years on from its launch in April 2014, sales of the Outlander PHEV have overtaken every other plug-in hybrid and pure electric car, even passing vehicles that have been around since 2011, such as the Nissan Leaf according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

Eddie Gamble, Sales Manager of Swindon Mitsubishi, said: ‘We’re delighted to be able to support Alun. He’s a well-known figure around the town and the vehicle will be parked right outside Swindon’s Abbey Stadium for all their home meetings. The new Outlander PHEV is a fantastic vehicle and it’s not difficult to see why it is proving so popular. I’m sure he will enjoy driving it.’

The Outlander PHEV has become the UK's number one choice of plug-in vehicle according to the SMMT. It boasts impressive fuel economy and ultra-low emissions – in a vehicle with the go-anywhere ability of four-wheel-drive. Combining electric and petrol power it has a range of 541 miles - 32 miles in electric mode alone, which is more than enough to accommodate the average daily commute.

As well as its official fuel consumption figure of 156 miles per gallon, the Outlander PHEV’s low emissions of just 42g of CO2 per kilometre mean there’s no vehicle tax to pay. It is exempt from the congestion charge and it qualifies for the Government's £2,500 plug-in car grant. In addition, company car drivers can reap the reward of low Benefit in Kind tax (BIK), meaning a virtual pay rise of several thousand pounds per year.