Cars 2 was the Pixar Cars movie that first featured international locations and a spy plot.
Released in 2011, Cars 2 sends Mater and Lightning McQueen to the World Grand Prix, with races in Japan, Italy, and England. Mater becomes involved in an intelligence investigation led by Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell.
The film expands the series beyond the American setting of Radiator Springs. Its travel story includes Tokyo, Porto Corsa, and London, while its action structure draws on spy-adventure movies.
Cars is the original film and focuses on Lightning's personal change in a small Route 66 community. Cars 3 returns to a more competition-centered story about racing technology and mentorship. That makes Cars 2 the series entry defined by the international spy adventure.