Cruz Ramirez first appears in Pixar's Cars 3.
Cruz Ramirez is a high-performance trainer assigned to help Lightning McQueen prepare for a new generation of racers. She begins as a confident but inexperienced coach and develops into a central character as the film explores changing technology, mentorship, and self-belief.
Cars 3 was released in 2017 and directed by Brian Fee. Its main rival is Jackson Storm, a modern next-generation race car whose speed challenges Lightning's place in professional racing.
Cristela Alonzo voices Cruz. Because Cruz becomes closely associated with Lightning's training and racing comeback, viewers sometimes remember her as a character from the earlier films. She is not present in Cars or Cars 2; Cars 3 is her franchise debut.