Cars 2 introduced the spy adventure involving the World Grand Prix.
Released in 2011, Cars 2 follows Lightning McQueen as he enters the World Grand Prix, a fictional international racing competition. Mater becomes involved in an espionage plot after being mistaken for an American secret agent, shifting the franchise toward action and international locations.
The film visits places including Tokyo, Porto Corsa, and London. Its principal villain is Professor Zündapp, who works with a group using an alternative fuel and a hidden plan to discredit it. The story therefore combines racing with spy-film conventions rather than focusing primarily on Radiator Springs.
Cars 2 is the second theatrical film in the franchise, following Cars from 2006 and preceding Cars 3 from 2017. Planes belongs to a related DisneyToon Studios spin-off line, not the Pixar Cars trilogy.