Cars was Pixar's first Cars-related feature film.
Released in 2006, Cars introduced the fictional world of sentient vehicles and established characters such as Lightning McQueen, Mater, Sally Carrera, and Doc Hudson. Its story centers on Lightning's accidental stay in Radiator Springs.
Cars was followed by Cars 2 in 2011 and Cars 3 in 2017. Disneytoon Studios later produced Planes, a 2013 spin-off set in a related world, but Planes was not made by Pixar and is not the first Pixar Cars feature.
The original film also established the Piston Cup, a fictional racing championship inspired by American stock-car racing. Its focus on community, humility, and the decline of Route 66 distinguishes it from the more international spy tone of Cars 2 and the generational racing story of Cars 3.