Pixar's first Cars feature sequel, released in 2011, is titled Cars 2.
Cars 2 follows Lightning McQueen and Mater as they travel abroad for the World Grand Prix. The story expands the franchise from the American road setting of the first film into an international adventure involving spies, secret identities, and a conspiracy connected to alternative fuel.
John Lasseter directed Cars 2 with Brad Lewis. The sequel was Pixar's twelfth feature film and was released five years after the original Cars. It retains familiar characters while giving Mater a much larger role in the central plot.
Cars 2 is distinct from Cars 3, which followed in 2017 and returned to a more racing-focused story about Lightning McQueen's changing career. The title's numeral refers to the second feature film, not a racing category.