In Pixar’s Cars 3, Cruz Ramirez becomes Lightning McQueen’s race technician and eventual racing partner.
Cruz works at the Rust-eze Racing Center, where she trains McQueen using modern simulation technology. Although she initially sees herself as a trainer rather than a racer, she has significant driving ability and a strong understanding of racing technique.
McQueen’s training trip helps Cruz confront her own abandoned ambition to compete. Their relationship develops from a coach-and-athlete arrangement into a partnership in which both characters learn from each other. By the film’s climax, Cruz takes McQueen’s place in the decisive race against Jackson Storm.
Cruz is voiced by Cristela Alonzo in the English-language version. She is different from Sally Carrera, who is McQueen’s romantic partner in Radiator Springs, and from Louise Nash, a veteran racer connected with Doc Hudson’s past.