Cars introduced Mater, the rusty tow truck who befriends Lightning McQueen.
Mater is the resident tow truck of Radiator Springs and quickly becomes McQueen's most loyal friend. His comic personality, tall tales, and distinctive Southern-accented speech make him one of the franchise's breakout characters.
Larry the Cable Guy provides Mater's voice in Cars and its sequels. The character's friendship with McQueen helps the racer move beyond his selfish pursuit of the Piston Cup. Mater also introduces McQueen to local activities such as tractor tipping and nighttime driving games.
Cars 2 later places Mater at the center of an international spy adventure, while Cars 3 returns the focus to McQueen's racing career. Those later appearances can make it easy to associate Mater with the sequels, but his first appearance was in the 2006 original.