Mater is the tow truck who befriends Lightning McQueen in Pixar’s Cars.
Mater lives in Radiator Springs and meets McQueen after the race car becomes stranded there. His friendliness, humor, and enthusiasm help McQueen form relationships with the town’s residents instead of treating the stop as a temporary inconvenience.
Mater’s name is a shortened form of “tomater,” reflecting his rural speech and the film’s playful vehicle-based word choices. He is rusty and missing a functioning front hood, but the story emphasizes his loyalty and generosity rather than his appearance.
Larry the Cable Guy provides Mater’s voice. Mater returns in Cars 2 and Cars 3 and also appears in the Cars Toons short-film series. Guido and Luigi are a small forklift and a Fiat 500, while Ramone is Radiator Springs’ lowrider-style paint artist.