Cars was the Pixar feature film followed by Cars 2 in the Cars franchise.
The original Cars premiered in 2006 and introduced Lightning McQueen, Mater, Sally Carrera, Doc Hudson, and Radiator Springs. Cars 2 followed in 2011, expanding the setting from a small Route 66 town to an international racing and espionage adventure. Cars 3 then returned to a more personal racing story and was released in 2017.
The films form the main feature-film series, while the wider franchise also includes short films, television specials, games, books, and merchandise. A related animated feature, Planes, was produced by DisneyToon Studios rather than Pixar, so it is not one of Pixar’s Cars films.
Cars 2 changes the narrative emphasis by giving Mater the central role in the spy plot. Cars 3 shifts attention back toward Lightning’s career and introduces Cruz Ramirez as an important new character.