Cars 2 was the Pixar Cars film that first featured a worldwide spy adventure.
Released in 2011, Cars 2 expands the series from racing in the United States to an international thriller. Mater is mistaken for an American secret agent and becomes involved with Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell while the World Grand Prix travels between Tokyo, Porto Corsa, and London.
The first Cars is primarily a road-and-racing story centered on Radiator Springs and the Piston Cup. Cars 3 returns to a more personal sports drama, focusing on Lightning McQueen’s effort to remain competitive against technologically advanced racers. Cars Toons, including Mater’s Tall Tales, is a series of short-form adventures rather than a feature film.
Cars 2 is therefore the series entry associated with espionage, international travel, and secret-agent cars. Its action-comedy structure makes it notably different in tone from the first and third films.