Cars 2 was the first Pixar Cars film to feature Lightning McQueen racing outside the United States.
The film sends McQueen to the international World Grand Prix, beginning in Tokyo and continuing through Porto Corsa and London. This makes Cars 2 the franchise’s first feature-length story in which McQueen competes on an international racing circuit.
The original Cars is set primarily in the United States, especially Radiator Springs and the fictional Piston Cup circuit. Cars 3 returns to American racing venues and focuses on McQueen’s struggle with a younger generation of racers. Cars Toons is a collection of short films rather than a feature film about an international racing championship.
Cars 2 broadens the series from an American road story into a worldwide adventure. Its international locations also support the film’s spy plot, which follows Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell while Mater becomes involved by mistake.