Pixar's first Cars sequel, released in 2011, was called Cars 2.
Cars 2 follows Cars, which premiered in 2006, and shifts the setting from a mostly American road story to an international spy adventure. Mater becomes involved with British spy Finn McMissile and agent Holley Shiftwell while Lightning McQueen competes in the World Grand Prix.
The sequel was directed by John Lasseter and co-directed by Brad Lewis. It was released in the United States on June 24, 2011. Although McQueen remains important, Mater receives a much larger role than in the first film, making the sequel’s tone and structure noticeably different.
The title is sometimes confused with Cars 3, which arrived in 2017 and returned the focus to McQueen’s racing career. Cars 2 is specifically the 2011 film featuring Tokyo, Porto Corsa, and London as major locations.