Cars 2 was the first Pixar Cars film to feature a spy-thriller storyline.
Released in 2011, Cars 2 shifts away from the small-town road-trip structure of Cars and follows Mater after he is mistaken for an American secret agent. He and Lightning McQueen become involved with British intelligence agent Finn McMissile and field operative Holley Shiftwell.
The espionage plot centers on the World Grand Prix and a conspiracy involving Allinol, an alternative fuel promoted by Miles Axlerod. Professor Zündapp and other conspirators use weapons and modified cameras to create an international crisis.
Cars remains primarily a sports comedy and character drama, while Cars 3 returns to McQueen’s racing career and mentorship of Cruz Ramirez. Cars Toons is a series of short films, not a feature-length entry in the main trilogy.