the few days that were available to the public, Ford's new Fusion and Milan hybrids sold a combined 451 units, representing 3.0% of all Fusion and Milan models sold in March 2009. The Fusion is the first new hybrid vehicle the Ford brand offered in five years, and is the second hybrid vehicle after the Ford Escape Hybrid. The Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan hybrids join the Saturn Vue Green Line Hybrid for Mexican-built hybrid vehicles. The 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid, launched in the U.S. market in September 2010, shares the hybrid powertrain from the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan hybrids, and delivers an estimated fuel economy of . The MKZ Hybrid offers several improvements of Ford's Smart Gauge with EcoGuide, first introduced in the 2010 Fusion Hybrid. Design and technology The Fusion Hybrid is a "full" hybrid because both propulsion sources, an electric motor powered by a Sanyo supplied 275 V nickel-metal hydride battery, and a 2.5L Atkinson cycle I4 156 hp 136 ft.lbs. gasoline engine with intake variable cam timing(iVCT), have substantial power ratings and either can be used alone to propel the vehicle. When braking or decelerating, the Fusion's hybrid system uses regenerative braking, where the electric drive motor becomes a generator, converting the vehicle's momentum back to electricity for storage in the batteries. Ford claims that nearly 94 percent energy recovery is achieved by first delivering full regenerative braking followed by friction brakes during city driving. Under ideal conditions, Ford claims the Fusion Hybrid can cruise at up to on battery power alone. Once perceived as a laggard in hybrid technology, Ford now claims nearly 500 hybrid patents that allow the Fusion Hybrid to achieve 41 MPG on the highway. According to Hybridcars.com, Ford has pointed to its talented inventors, making "special mention of Ming Kuang who has helped Ford since 2000 to expand its portfolio of hybrid patents from just 10 patents when he began to 461 today." Quoted in Autotrader.com, the veteran engineer says "it's about helping make the world my children live in-and the world my children's children will live in-a better place." Safety The Ford Fusion line-up was included in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety 2010 "Top Safety Pick's" rating for the mid-size category. As of June 2010, Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan hybrids are the only two mid-size hybrid vehicles in the list. Due to the fact that Ford recently