Cars was Pixar's seventh feature film released theatrically.
Before Cars, Pixar had released Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, and The Incredibles. Cars followed The Incredibles and became the studio's seventh feature-length animated production.
The film marked an important transition for Pixar because it combined computer animation with a world modeled on American road culture and motorsport. It also became the studio's first feature released after the death of Pixar co-founder Steve Jobs' earlier business partner and longtime collaborator, though the production itself had begun years before release.
Counting can become confusing when shorts, television specials, and later films are included. The number seven refers to Pixar's theatrical feature-film sequence at the time Cars was released, not to the number of films in the Cars franchise.