Cars 2 was the first Pixar Cars film to feature international spy-movie locations and missions.
Released in 2011, Cars 2 sends its characters far beyond Radiator Springs. Lightning McQueen competes in the World Grand Prix, while Mater is mistaken for an American spy and becomes entangled with Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell. The plot draws on espionage conventions such as secret identities, surveillance, villains, and gadgets.
The first Cars film is primarily a road-trip and small-town story, while Cars 3 returns to a more focused racing and mentorship narrative. Cars 2 therefore stands apart in the franchise because its structure combines racing with an international action adventure.
Its locations include Tokyo, the fictional Italian town of Porto Corsa, and London. The film’s spy emphasis can cause confusion with the franchise’s broader action elements, but Cars 2 is specifically the feature that establishes the international espionage premise.