Cars 2 introduced the international racing event called the World Grand Prix.
In Cars 2, businessman Sir Miles Axlerod creates the World Grand Prix to promote Allinol, a new alternative fuel. The race takes Lightning McQueen and his friends to Tokyo, Porto Corsa, and London, making the sequel much more international than the original film.
The World Grand Prix is also the setting for the film’s spy plot. Mater is mistaken for an American agent and becomes involved with British spy Finn McMissile and intelligence agent Holley Shiftwell. The racing story and espionage story unfold together, with the fuel technology providing the connection.
Cars, released in 2006, focuses mainly on McQueen’s personal growth in Radiator Springs. Cars 3 returns to a more traditional racing-and-mentorship story. Cars on the Road is a Disney+ animated series rather than a feature film and does not introduce the World Grand Prix.