By Cassandra Garrison

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Chinese automaker BYD unveiled the Shark, a mid-size hybrid-electric pickup truck, in Mexico on Tuesday, expanding its foothold in the North American market with a vehicle aimed directly at incumbents Ford, General Motors and Toyota.

The Shark is only available in the Latin American nation, executives said, and is the first time the world’s largest electric-vehicle (EV) maker has launched a new product outside its home country.

BYD chose Mexico because of the rapid growth in demand for pickup trucks in the country, Chief of Americas Stella Li said.

The model is meant to tackle common downsides to pickups, such as high fuel consumption as well as poor handling and control, Li added.

It will compete in Mexico with compact and medium-sized trucks such as the Toyota Tacoma and Ford Ranger.

The Shark’s size and features are consistent with those of vehicles offered in the United States, a market BYD did not address in its presentation Tuesday. U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced new tariffs on Chinese products, including a new 100% duty on Chinese EVs.

The Shark can travel up to 100 km in EV mode before needing to be recharged, according to a brochure from BYD, and up to 840 km using both electric and combustion methods.

The pickup consumes 7.5 liters of fuel per 100 km traveled, the brochure detailed.

(Reporting by Cassandra Garrison; Writing by Kylie Madry; Editing by Anthony Esposito and Deepa Babington)